President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed an agreement on cooperation between the countries in the field of security. It will be in effect until Ukraine joins NATO.

The UK government has called this agreement historic.

The agreement titled "Agreement on Security Cooperation between Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" is the first in the field of security agreements to implement the agreements reached during the NATO Summit in Vilnius between Ukraine, G7 members, and the states that joined them.

It is expected that London will exchange intelligence with Kyiv, assist with cybersecurity, military training, and strengthen defense-industrial cooperation, according to the UK government website.

The agreement also obliges the UK to conduct consultations with Ukraine in case Russia attacks it again and to provide "rapid and constant" assistance for defense.

"If such guarantees had been achieved in 1991, especially with Britain, the war would not have started," commented Zelenskyy.

Sunak emphasized that this is the "first of the security assurances that Ukraine signs". He stated that Britain was the first to also provide Ukraine with lethal weapons, tanks, long-range missiles, etc.

The term of the agreement is 10 years, the Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported.

Read also: PM Sunak in Kyiv with new aid package, to sign 'historic security agreement' with Ukraine