Keir Starmer, sharp appeal to the meeting with Zelenski: “Putin must not be the one to gain from a conflict in Iran”
The UK prime minister welcomed President Volodymyr Zelensky in London on Tuesday and warned that “the focus must remain on Ukraine” despite the war in the Middle East, according to the BBC and AFP.
When he was welcoming the Ukrainian leader at the residence in Downing Street no. 10, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin “must not be the one to gain from a conflict in Iran, whether it's oil prices or the lifting of sanctions.”
Amid the war in the Middle East, the US lifted some of its sanctions on Russian oil in what US officials described as an attempt to ease pressure on the global market.
Ahead of the meeting with Zelenski, Starmer reaffirmed the UK's support for Ukraine.
“Our resolve is unwavering,” the British leader said.
“There is obviously an ongoing conflict in Iran in the Middle East, but we cannot lose sight of what is happening in Ukraine and the need for our support,” he added.
The President of Ukraine thanked the British Prime Minister for his support.
“You have been with all of us in this difficult winter,” said Volodymyr Zelensky.
On Monday, the Financial Times reported that European leaders have tried to keep Ukraine front and center since war broke out in the Middle East. Zelenski was in Paris on Friday, in the context of which an Élysée official claimed an “eclipsing effect” of the conflict between the US-Israel and Iran.
A new partnership between Kyiv and London
At the meeting in London, Starmer and Zelenski clapped hands over a new defense partnership aimed at countering cheap attack drones.
The deal will bring together “Ukrainian expertise and the UK's industrial base” to manufacture and supply drones and other capabilities, according to the Downing Street statement.
The partnership also provides for closer cooperation with third countries in the field of defense industries as part of efforts to strengthen international security.
In addition, the UK will give Ukraine £500,000 to fund an artificial intelligence center of excellence in Kyiv.
