PM Boris Johnson said the “UK is Ukraine’s most fervent supporter” and is “utterly committed to upholding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
I’ll leave others to make the obvious observations regarding Crimea and Donbass.
Focusing on the free trade bit of the agreement, in 2019 trade between the UK and Ukraine was worth £1.5 billion. Top UK exports to Ukraine included aircraft (£79m), medicinal and pharmaceuticals (£61m), and cars (£52m). During the same period, the UK imported £177 million of cereals and £182 million of iron and steel.
International Trade Secretary, Liz “that-is-a-disgrace” Truss, said, without any hint of irony, that free trade is an incredibly powerful agent of economic growth, opportunity, and human progress.
Maybe for Ukraine it is but the UK has given up access to a neighbouring market of 445 million people for a trade deal with the poorest country in Europe (alongside Moldova), one that has the world's worst-performing currency, with average salaries of €300 per month, ranks 88 on the Human Development Index, and 120 out of 180 countries for corruption.
Truss goes on to say that, thanks to this deal, the aircraft, automotive and pharmaceutical industries can continue to thrive and support jobs, at a time when airlines are going bust, no one can afford to buy a car anymore, and global warming is just starting to be taken seriously.
In the meantime, Ukraine still uses neonicotinoid insecticides on oilseeds and sugar beet which are banned in the UK, and widely grow GM soya despite it being illegal in Ukraine in what must be the world’s worst kept agricultural secret, all of which end up in products destined for the UK.
Indeed, Liz, free trade is an incredibly powerful agent of economic growth and opportunity, just not always in your favour.