STORY
Sir Keir Starmer is hosting Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz in Downing Street for talks on continued support for Ukraine. The meeting comes after a week of intensified Russian and Ukrainian attacks and follows Vladimir Putin’s rejection of direct talks with Zelenskyy.
The UK, France and Germany are among Ukraine’s most important European backers and have been central to efforts to build a coalition of countries willing to provide security guarantees. The talks are expected to focus on the next phase of military, diplomatic and economic support for Kyiv.
The meeting also gives Starmer an opportunity to reinforce the UK’s role in European security at a time when his Government is under pressure over the delayed Defence Investment Plan. Ministers have argued that the UK remains one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters and that European allies must maintain pressure on Moscow.