EPAPrime Minister Keir Starmer met Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Downing Street as Ukraine’s president seeks to boost European support for his country’s war effort.
President Zelenskiy said he would share details of his “victory plan” during the meeting, while Lord Keir promised “continued commitment and support” to Ukraine.
The talks took place as the conflict with Russia enters its third winter and amid expectations that Donald Trump, who is widely seen as having low support for Ukraine, will win the US presidential election in November. I was disappointed.
Mark Rutte, the new head of the NATO military alliance, was also in Downing Street to take part in talks with Zelenskiy.
The NATO chief is scheduled to hold a one-on-one meeting with the prime minister, and Zelenskiy will head to France and Italy to continue his European diplomatic career.
A red carpet was rolled out in Downing Street to mark Mr Zelensky’s arrival, and the two leaders shook hands and hugged on the steps of No. 10.
The President of Ukraine came in 10th place and said: “I would like to thank the British people, the people of our great country (our strength) since the beginning of the war.”
Zelenskiy said he would share details of Ukraine’s so-called victory plan, a strategy for the next phase of the war. The president has been trying to rally new support for his war effort in recent weeks.
Details of the plan have not yet been made public, but it relies on increased support and security from Western countries. This includes setting a clear path for Ukraine to join NATO and lifting restrictions on the use of Western-supplied long-range weapons.
Sir Keir said it was “very important that we can demonstrate our continued commitment to supporting Ukraine” and that it was an opportunity to “consider our plans and discuss them in more detail”.
“This is a very important fight for you and for us,” the Prime Minister said.
The head of the British military, the defense secretary and the prime minister’s senior national security adviser also attended the meeting with Zelenskiy and others, which lasted about two hours.
Rutte said the talks were about Ukraine and also about “how to defend the West and keep us safe.”
EPA
The agenda for the Downing Street meeting has not been made public, but President Zelenskiy is likely to ask Sir Keir for permission to use British-supplied missiles on Russian territory.
He has publicly called for his military to be allowed to use Storm Shadow missiles to target Russian military logistics targets deep in Russia, but efforts have so far failed. The United States would also need to authorize the use of missiles inside Russia.
Rutte, like his predecessor, has expressed support for allowing Ukraine to attack military targets inside Russia, but has made it clear that ultimately it is the decision of each country that supplies weapons and logistics. I made it.
Whitehall supports lifting restrictions on the use of Stormshadow missiles, but the government does not want to act alone.
The United States has not yet given the go-ahead, and Germany is also opposed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to view the move as an escalation, and there are concerns among NATO nations that the Kremlin’s response could pose a risk.
Ukraine had been hoping for a move on the use of long-range missiles at a summit scheduled to bring together the country’s biggest military backers in Ramstein, Germany, later this week.
However, the summit was postponed because US President Joe Biden, who is overseeing the emergency response to Hurricane Milton, which caused widespread damage in Florida, was unable to attend.
Russia has made modest but strategically important advances on the battlefield in recent weeks, but a decisive breakthrough remains elusive from either side.
Zelenskiy is acutely aware that a return to the White House by President Trump could make Ukraine more dependent on European allies such as Britain, which could dampen U.S. support for Ukraine.
This could test the West’s resilience as the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion approaches and war fatigue and questions about the West’s long-term support mount.
Reuters
NATO chief Mark Rutte was accompanied by Foreign Minister David Lammy ahead of the meeting in Downing Street.
Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, the UK has given Ukraine £12.8 billion in military and other aid, and more than 200,000 Ukrainian refugees have temporarily moved to the UK. I have a permanent residence.
Since taking office, the prime minister has continued the previous Conservative government’s policy of providing strong financial and diplomatic support to Ukraine’s war effort.
It will be Mr Zelensky’s second visit to Downing Street since Sir Keir was elected Prime Minister. In July, the President of Ukraine became the first foreign leader to be invited to No. 10 after the change of government.
Sir Keir, who remained opposition leader, also met with Mr Zelensky in Ukraine in February and with Mr Zelensky at the NATO summit in July.
At a meeting of NATO countries, they committed Ukraine to an “irreversible path” to membership, which the Ukrainian government considers essential to its national security.
