Starmer gives Zelensky 'full backing' in warm No 10 welcome

Sir Keir Starmer has told Volodymyr Zelensky helium has "full backing crossed the United Kingdom" arsenic the 2 met successful Downing Street.

The Ukrainian president told the premier curate helium was blessed his state had "such friends" aft arriving successful the UK successful the aftermath of a White House gathering with US President Donald Trump that descended into a enactment betwixt the 2 leaders.

Zelensky and Sir Keir besides signed a £2.26bn indebtedness for Ukrainian subject supplies, that volition beryllium repaid utilizing profits from frozen Russian assets.

The premier curate will big a acme of European and Canadian leaders successful London aboriginal arsenic portion of efforts to bring the Russia-Ukraine warfare to an end. Zelensky is past owed to conscionable King Charles.

Those meetings volition present beryllium overshadowed by events successful Washington and concerns astir a hardening of relations with the US.

In caller weeks, the premier curate has sought to formed himself arsenic a span betwixt the US and Europe arsenic it adapts to the Trump administration's desire to beryllium little progressive successful European defence, having a cordial gathering with Trump a time earlier Zelensky's.

During that meeting, helium hand-delivered a missive from the King inviting Trump - who is fond of the Royal Family - to an unprecedented 2nd authorities visit, which SNP MPs called connected the PM to retreat pursuing the Oval Office spat.

Sir Keir has besides attempted to beryllium a conduit for Ukraine arsenic it seeks US information guarantees successful immoderate bid woody - contacting some Trump and Zelensky by telephone connected Friday evening successful the aftermath of their row.

The sojourn to Downing Street connected Saturday was an accidental for the PM to show his continued enactment for Zelensky pursuing the nationalist falling-out with Trump.

Remarking connected cheers helium heard outside, Sir Keir told the Ukrainian leader: "That is the radical of the United Kingdom coming retired to show however overmuch they enactment you, however overmuch they enactment Ukraine."

He added: "We basal with you and Ukraine for arsenic agelong arsenic it whitethorn take."

Zelensky replied: "I saw a batch of radical and I privation to convey you, the radical of the United Kingdom, [for] specified large enactment from the precise opening of this war."

He said helium was blessed astir gathering the King connected Sunday, and was thankful for the European summit.

It is understood the gathering betwixt Zelensky and the King was requested by the Ukrainian president, with the UK authorities agreeing to it.

Following the Downing Street meeting, Zelensky praised the UK's "tremendous" support, noting successful peculiar the £2.26bn indebtedness paid for done Russian assets frozen since the warfare began.

He said the funds volition beryllium utilized to nutrient weapons successful Ukraine, declaring: "This is existent justness - the 1 who started the warfare indispensable beryllium the 1 to pay."

The indebtedness was first announced successful October.

Following the acrimonious White House visit, Zelensky has attempted to mend US ties.

In a statement, helium said of Trump: "Despite the pugnacious dialogue, we stay strategical partners. But we request to beryllium honorable and nonstop with each different to genuinely recognize our shared goals."

When his level landed astatine Stansted, the Ukrainian person wrote successful a drawstring of societal media posts: "It's important for america to person President Trump's support. He wants to extremity the war, but no-one wants bid much than we do.

"We are the ones surviving this warfare successful Ukraine. It's a combat for our freedom, for our precise survival."

Sunday's acme successful London is the latest circular of top-level European meetings successful effect to Washington's caller attack to ending the warfare successful Ukraine, which began with Russia's full-scale penetration conscionable implicit 3 years ago.

The Trump medication has truthful acold excluded Europe from preliminary talks with Russia, portion the US president has been accused of parroting Russian propaganda.

Top of the docket connected Sunday volition beryllium expanding Europe's defence capabilities arsenic Washington steps backmost arsenic good arsenic seeking information guarantees for Ukraine from the White House arsenic portion of immoderate bid deal.

Ahead of the past leaders' acme successful Paris, Sir Keir projected deploying British troops to Ukraine arsenic portion of a European peacekeeping unit - but said this would necessitate a US information "backstop".

Trump has consistently resisted afloat committing nonstop subject enactment to a Ukraine bid deal, but has offered person economical ties including a minerals deal, which helium said could enactment arsenic a deterrent.

Since Friday's row, media reports from the US suggest Trump is considering cutting disconnected assistance to Ukraine altogether.

At the aforesaid time, European leaders person recognised the request to summation defence spending - but experts person warned the UK's subject is currently not acceptable to instrumentality connected an expanded defence role.

On Sunday, Sir Keir and Zelensky volition beryllium joined by the leaders of France, Germany and Poland, the heads of the European Commission and European Council, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Nato's caput wide Mark Rutte.

A peculiar European Commission defence bundle volition beryllium announced connected 6 March, according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

The Oval Office spat prompted European allies to equine a spirited defence of the embattled Ukrainian president.

While diplomatic efforts to bring the warfare to a adjacent continue, warring rages on.

Seven radical were injured successful an overnight drone onslaught connected the north-eastern metropolis of Kharkiv.

Ukraine's authorities exigency work said 64 radical - astir of them patients - were evacuated from a three-storey aesculapian installation that caught occurrence aft being deed by a drone.

In Russia, the country's defence ministry reported 48 Ukrainian drones had been "intercepted and destroyed" overnight.