Key Events
| 12 May 2014 Pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine’s easternmost areas, Donetsk and Luhansk, announce landslide victories in referendums on “self-rule”. Ukraine and Western countries condemn the vote. |
| 25 May 2014 Petro Poroshenko is elected president of Ukraine. |
| 14 June 2014 Pro-Russia separatists shoot down a military transport plane in eastern Ukraine, killing all 49 Ukrainian service personnel on board. |
| 27 June 2014 The EU signs a landmark partnership agreement with Ukraine. |
| 17 July 2014 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is shot down over eastern Ukraine with the loss of 298 lives. A 15-month investigation by the Dutch Safety Board (DSB) later finds the plane was hit by a Russian-made Buk missile. |
| 5 September 2014 Ukraine’s government and pro-Russia rebels sign a truce in Minsk (referred to as the first Minsk Agreement) to end almost five months of fighting. The ceasefire collapses within days. |
| 24 January 2015 A series of rocket attacks leave 30 people dead and many more injured in the city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine. |
| 12 February 2015 The second Minsk Agreement is signed. |
| 9 July 2016 NATO and Ukraine sign a Comprehensive Assistance Package. |
| 8 June 2017 The Ukrainian Parliament votes to restore NATO membership as the country’s strategic foreign policy objective. |
| 1 September 2017 Ukraine’s association agreement with the European Union enters into force. |
| 15 May 2018 President Putin opens a 12-mile bridge between the Russian mainland and Crimea, tightening Russia’s hold over the annexed peninsula. |
| 20 November 2018 The UK Government joins calls for Russia to stop delaying or preventing access for ships to the Sea of Azov. Restrictions on freedom of passage have been accompanied by an increase in Russia’s military presence in the sea. |
| 21 February 2019 An amendment to Ukraine’s constitution, setting NATO membership as a strategic foreign and security policy, enters into force. |
| 21 April 2019 Volodymyr Zelenskyy is elected president of Ukraine in a landslide victory. |
| 7 September 2019 Russia and Ukraine exchange dozens of prisoners captured in the wake of Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and intervention in the Donbas. It is the first prisoner exchange since 2014. |
| 12 June 2020 Ukraine is granted NATO Enhanced Opportunity Partner status. |
| 14 September 2020 President Zelenskyy approves Ukraine’s new National Security Strategy, with the aim of joining NATO. |
| 6 April 2021 Russia announces the start of mass military drills, raising tensions with Ukraine amid Western concern over the risk of renewed fighting. |
| 14 April 2021 Ukraine’s defence minister says 110,000 Russian troops are massing on the border in 56 battalion- sized tactical groups. |
More Detailed
| 2 May 2014 More than 30 people are killed in violent clashes in the Black Sea city of Odessa, as pro-Ukrainian activists storm a building occupied by protesters in favour of closer ties with Russia. |
| 3 May 2014 In response to the violence in Odessa, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague calls on all parties to work to restore calm and law and order across Ukraine. |
| 11 May 2014 “Self-rule” independence referendums are held in Ukraine’s easternmost areas, Donetsk and Luhansk. Ukraine calls the vote a “criminal farce” and Western countries also condemn the vote. |
| 12 May 2014 Pro-Russia separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk announce landslide victories in the independence referendums. The head of the de facto electoral commission says 89% of voters in Donetsk and 96% in Luhansk voted for self-rule. |
| 25 May 2014 Pro-European businessman Petro Poroshenko is elected president of Ukraine. |
| 14 June 2014 Pro-Russia separatists shoot down a military transport plane in eastern Ukraine, killing all 49 Ukrainian service personnel on board. In a statement, Ukraine’s defence ministry says “terrorists” have “cynically and treacherously” fired on the aircraft. |
| 24 June 2014 President Putin asks the upper house of the Russian parliament to revoke its March ruling that permits Russia to use troops on Ukrainian territory. |
| 25 June 2014 The Russian parliament’s upper house agrees President Putin’s request, voting 153-1 in favour of revoking authorisation for military intervention in Ukraine. |
| 27 June 2014 The EU signs a landmark partnership agreement with Ukraine. President Poroshenko hails the signing as Ukraine’s most historic day since independence in 1991, describing it as a “symbol of faith and unbreakable will”. He also says he sees the signing as the start of preparations for Ukraine joining the EU. |
| 5 July 2014 Separatist rebels abandon the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk and some smaller towns, in the north of Donetsk region, to concentrate on the battle for Donetsk city. |
| 17 July 2014 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, is shot down over eastern Ukraine with the loss of 298 lives. A 15-month investigation by the Dutch Safety Board (DSB) later finds the plane was hit by a Russian-made Buk missile. |
| 21 July 2014 In a statement to the House of Commons, UK Prime Minister David Cameron says President Putin must use his influence to end the conflict in Ukraine by halting supplies and training for the separatists. The Prime Minister also calls for “proper long-term relationships between Ukraine and Russia; between Ukraine and the European Union; and, above all, between Russia and the European Union, NATO and the wider West.” |
| 30 July 2014 The G7 leaders issue a joint statement on the ongoing situation in Ukraine, condemning Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. |
| 22 August 2014 A Russian convoy of 260 lorries delivers humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine, raising suspicion from some in the international community. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius warns the convoy “could be a cover for the Russians to install themselves near Luhansk and Donetsk and present us with a fait accompli”. |
| 26 August 2014 Ukraine releases videos of captured Russian troops. Russia claims the troops crossed the border “by accident”, but Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko says: “This wasn’t a mistake, but a special mission they were carrying out.” |
| 1 September 2014 Ukraine says 700 of its men have been taken prisoner as pro-Russia rebels advance in the east. |
| 5 September 2014 Ukraine’s government and pro-Russia rebels in the east sign a truce in Minsk (referred to as the first Minsk Agreement) to end almost five months of fighting. The ceasefire deal collapses within days of signing. |
| 24 September 2014 NATO reports a “significant” withdrawal of Russian troops from eastern Ukraine, although some forces still remain. |
| 12 October 2014 President Vladimir Putin orders thousands of Russian troops stationed near the Ukrainian border to return to their bases. Russian media reports 17,600 soldiers on training exercises in the Rostov region would be pulled back. |
| 17 October 2014 The UK Government announces a package of non-lethal equipment to be gifted to Ukraine, in response to a direct request from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. |
| 21 October 2014 New York-based Human Rights Watch suggests both government forces and pro-Russia separatists have used cluster munitions in eastern Ukraine. Most countries banned cluster munitions under a convention that became international law in 2010, but Ukraine did not sign up to it. |
| 26 October 2014 Pro-Western parties win parliamentary elections in Ukraine. |
| 31 October 2014 In a deal brokered by the EU, Russia agrees to resume gas supplies to Ukraine over the winter. Russia had cut off Ukraine’s gas in June as the conflict in eastern Ukraine escalated. |
| 2 November 2014 Pro-Russia separatists hold elections in the two self-proclaimed people’s republics in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine. The elections are denounced as “illegitimate” by the West. |
| 3 November 2014 Following the vote, President Poroshenko holds a meeting with his security chiefs and accuses the rebels of jeopardising “the entire peace process”. |
| 11 November 2014 Dutch efforts to salvage wreckage from the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash site stall as no deal is reached with local rebel groups. |
| 12 November 2014 NATO commander Gen. Philip Breedlove warns Russian military equipment and Russian combat troops have been seen entering Ukraine over several days, saying: “Russian tanks, Russian artillery, Russian air defence systems and Russian combat troops” had been sighted. |
| 24 January 2015 A series of rocket attacks leave 30 people dead and many more injured in the city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine blames pro-Russia rebels, but the separatists say Ukrainian forces are behind the attacks. |
| 26 January 2015 In an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, NATO strongly condemns the escalation of violence in eastern Ukraine and urges all parties to continue efforts to achieve a peaceful solution, in full conformity with the Minsk Agreement. |
| 10 February 2015 UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond makes a statement in the House of Commons on the situation in Ukraine. He welcomes efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution of the situation in the east of the country, outlines the package of economic sanctions which the EU and the US is imposing on Russia, and provides further detail on other measures being taken by the West. |
| 12 February 2015 Following lengthy peace negotiations (referred to as the Normandy Format) between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a new ceasefire deal for eastern Ukraine is signed in the Belarusian capital Minsk: the second Minsk Agreement. |
| 15 February 2015 UK Secretary of Defence Michael Fallon responds to an urgent question on the deployment of UK personnel to train Ukrainian forces. As part of wider UK Government efforts to support Ukraine and ensure a robust international response, the Defence Secretary announces: “UK personnel will now provide to the Ukrainian armed forces medical, logistics, infantry, and intelligence capacity-building training from mid-March.” (Operation Orbital) |
| 23 February 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron announces the UK will provide £15 million in emergency assistance to provide food, blankets, emergency shelter and basic medical supplies to vulnerable and displaced Ukrainians. |
| 3 March 2015 The Prime Minister holds a video conference call with other world leaders to discuss how Europe and the US should work together to enforce the Minsk agreements. |
| 22 March 2015 Marking a year after President Putin signed the decree confirming the illegal annexation of Crimea, the Foreign Secretary again condemns the flagrant breach of Ukrainian and international law and says Russia must return Crimea to Ukraine. |
| 12 October 2015 The Defence secretary issues a written statement updating the House of Commons on the UK’s support to training Ukrainian personnel through Operation Orbital. |
| 21 March 2016 On the second anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the Foreign Secretary again calls for Russia to return Crimea to Ukraine and condemns Russia’s continued breach of international law. |
| 8 July 2016 The Prime Minister meets with Ukrainian President Poroshenko at the NATO Summit in Warsaw and reaffirms the UK’s commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty. |
| 9 July 2016 At the NATO Summit in Warsaw, the heads of state and government of the NATO-Ukraine Commission endorse the Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) for Ukraine, enhancing NATO’s assistance for Ukraine. |
| 8 June 2017 The Ukrainian Parliament votes to restore NATO membership as the country’s strategic foreign policy objective. In a statement, the parliament announced it had passed the bill “to amend the Ukrainian laws on national security and internal and foreign policies. The new laws hereby enact Ukraine’s commitment to achieve NATO membership strategically by having made it legally binding,” |
| 11 June 2017 Ukraine’s association agreement with the EU is ratified by all signatories, promoting deeper political ties, stronger economic links, and respect for common values between the two. |
| 5 July 2017 The Defence Secretary announces the UK has directly trained over 5,000 members of Ukraine’s Armed Forces; 1,000 more than initially targeted. |
| 1 September 2017 Ukraine’s association agreement with the European Union enters into force. |
| December 2017 The US, under President Trump’s administration, approves the largest commercial sale of lethal arms to Ukraine since 2014, moving beyond the non-lethal military assistance that the Obama administration allowed. |
| 15 May 2018 President Putin opens a 12-mile bridge between the Russian mainland and Crimea, tightening Russia’s hold over the annexed peninsula. |
| 31 August 2018 Alexander Zakharchenko, the leader of a Kremlin-backed separatist republic in eastern Ukraine is killed in a blast close to his official residence in Donetsk. He had been appointed prime minister of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) in November 2014. |
| 20 November 2018 The UK Government joins calls for Russia to stop delaying or preventing access for ships to the Sea of Azov, following a discussion at the EU Foreign Affairs Council. Restrictions on freedom of passage have been accompanied by an increase in Russia’s military presence in the sea. |
| 27 November 2018 Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt responds to an urgent question on Russian action in the sea of Azov and the subsequent declaration of martial law in parts of Ukraine. He says: “Our position is clear: Russia’s actions are not in conformity with the United Nations convention on the law of the sea or the 2003 Russia-Ukraine bilateral agreement, which provides free passage in the sea of Azov, including for military ships.” |
| 30 November 2018 The foreign ministers of the G7 countries issue a statement expressing their concern over Russia’s actions against Ukraine in the Kerch Strait. |
| 5 January 2019 The Ukrainian Orthodox Church gains formal independence from the Russian Orthodox Church. The Ukrainian church had been under the jurisdiction of the Moscow patriarchate since 1686 and the move is predicted to heighten geopolitical tensions in the region. |
| 21 February 2019 An amendment to Ukraine’s constitution, setting NATO membership as a strategic foreign and security policy, enters into force. |
| 18 March 2019 On the fifth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt condemns Russia and says: “The UK will never recognise Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and we call on Russia to end their illegitimate control of the peninsula and their attempts to redraw the boundaries of Europe.” |
| 21 April 2019 Former actor and comedian Volodymyr Zelenskyy defeats Petro Poroshenko in the presidential election, promising to tackle corruption and end the conflict in eastern Ukraine. It is a landslide victory, with Zelenskyy taking over 70% of the votes. |
| 21 July 2019 President Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party wins a majority of seats in the parliamentary election. |
| 22 August 2019 Prime Minister Boris Johnson calls President Zelenskyy and reiterates the UK’s support in ending the conflict in the Donbas. |
| 7 September 2019 Russia and Ukraine exchange dozens of prisoners captured in the wake of Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and intervention in the Donbas. Both countries free 35 prisoners as part of the exchange, the first since 2014. There is controversy, however, over Ukraine’s decision to hand Vladimir Tsemakh over to Moscow, a separatist commander thought to be involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 in July 2014. |
| 4 November 2019 The Defence secretary issues a written statement updating the House of Commons on Operation Orbital. UK Armed Forces personnel deployed on Operation Orbital have trained over 17,500 members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2015. |
| 20 March 2020 Ukraine enters its first lockdown to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. |
| 9 June 2020 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approves a $5bn lifeline to support Ukraine during a pandemic-induced recession. |
| 12 June 2020 Ukraine is granted NATO Enhanced Opportunity Partner (EOP) status. This status is part of NATO’s Partnership Interoperability Initiative, which aims to maintain and deepen cooperation between Allies and partners that have made significant contributions to NATO-led operations and missions. |
| 14 September 2020 President Zelenskyy approves Ukraine’s new National Security Strategy. which provides for the development of a distinctive partnership with NATO, with the aim of NATO membership. |
| 8 October 2020 On a two-day visit to the UK, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Boris Johnson sign a landmark Strategic Partnership Agreement, paving the way for stronger cooperation between the UK and Ukraine. |
| 31 December 2020 The UK-Ukraine Political, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership Agreement enters into force. |
| 20 February 2021 President Zelenskyy’s government imposes sanctions on several Ukrainian politicians with close ties to Russian President Putin, including political heavyweight Viktor Medvedchuk, the Kremlin’s most prominent ally in Ukraine. |
| 20 February 2021 The UK reaffirms its support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, seven years after Russia annexed Crimea. To mark the seventh anniversary of the annexation, the UK Government announces funding for a new project to improve access to vital services for Ukrainians living in Crimea. |
| 5 April 2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks to President Zelenskyy and expresses the UK’s significant concerns about the recent Russian military activity on Ukraine’s border and in Crimea. |
| 6 April 2021 Russia announces the start of mass military drills, raising tensions with Ukraine amid Western concern about the risk of renewed fighting. |
| 14 April 2021 Russia and Ukraine hold simultaneous military drills as NATO foreign and defence ministers began emergency discussions on the massing of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border. Ukraine’s defence minister, Andrii Taran, says 110,000 Russian troops are massing on the border in 56 battalion-sized tactical groups, citing Kyiv’s latest intelligence. |
| 22 April 2021 After weeks of tension over the build-up of Russian troops close to Ukraine’s border, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announces Russia will re-deploy its forces back to their home bases by 1 May, temporarily averting the crisis. |
| 2 September 2021 During a visit to the White House, President Zelenskyy presses US President Biden for a firm commitment to NATO membership, but gets little encouragement. |
| 26 October 2021 Ukraine uses a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone in combat for the first time in eastern Ukraine, angering Russia. |