President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to finalise a weapons financing treaty with Prime Minister Keir Starmer as Ukraine looks for more arms.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to address the UK Cabinet, the first foreign leader to do so in person since US President Bill Clinton in 1997.
Zelenskyy is expected to brief ministers on the situation in Ukraine and the need for European countries to ramp up defence production in the face of Russian aggression.
Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Keir Starmer are also expected to finalise a treaty that will give Ukraine access to €4.1 billion of export financing to purchase weapons.
“Ukraine is, and always will be, at the heart of this government’s agenda, and so it is only fitting that President Zelenskyy will make a historic address to my Cabinet,” Starmer said in a statement.
“Russia’s incremental gains on the battlefield are nothing compared with the collective international support for Ukraine, or the strength of ties between our people,” he added.
Zelenskyy: Let us use Storm Shadow
Zelenskyy is also seeking clarification on how it is permitted to use the Storm Shadow missiles supplied by the UK to counter Russian attacks. Some Kyiv allies are reluctant to provide any permission because of concerns it could draw the West into direct conflict with Russia.
The Storm Shadow is an air-launched cruise missile with a range of more than 250 kilometres.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey said Ukraine already has permission to use the missiles against targets in Russia, but the exact rules for engagement and what can be targeted are still “complex questions” that are the subject of intense negotiations.
“We’re providing weapons to Ukraine for their defence of their sovereign country, and that does not preclude them hitting targets in Russia, but that must be done by the Ukrainians. It must be done within the parameters and the bounds of international humanitarian law,” Healey said in a BBC interview.
Starmer welcomed Zelenskyy to 10 Downing Street
After the EPC summit, Zelenskyy met with Starmer at 10 Downing Street.
“It is a very special moment for us to be able to welcome you here, to reiterate our support for you and the Ukrainian people in the fight against Russian aggression, and to have this opportunity to confirm again our resolve to stand with you,” Starmer said to Zelenskyy.
He thanked the UK for supporting Ukraine during the war and said he hopes they can make new agreements.
Later in the day, Zelenskyy will address a meeting of Starmer’s cabinet, a rarity for a foreign leader, as Starmer seeks to show that his Labour Party government will maintain the support to Kyiv begun under his Conservative predecessors.
