Ukraine fears relations with UK have 'worsened'

Ukraine's relationship with the UK has "got worse" since the Labour government took power in July, officials in Kyiv have told the Guardian, voicing frustration over Britain's failure to supply extra long-range missiles.

- Luke Harding and Dan Sabbagh Kyiv

The prime minister is yet to visit Ukraine four months after taking office and a frustrated Kyiv has said that a trip would be worthless unless Keir Starmer committed to replenishing stocks of the sought-after long-range Storm Shadow system.

"There's no point in his coming as a tourist," one senior figure in Volodymyr Zelenskyy's administration said at a time of acute concern in Ukraine about the impact that Donald Trump's US election victory will have on its war effort.

Ukraine is growing increasingly unhappy with London as Russian troops advance in the east of the country at their fastest rate since 2022, with US officials concluding that the frontlines can no longer be considered static. Ukrainian commanders say they are heavily outgunned.

At the same time, Trump's election victory has raised concerns that the US could halt or slow military aid to Ukraine, forcing Kyiv to negotiate a humiliating peace with Russia.