Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Downing Street on Thursday as he tours European nations seeking support for Ukraine’s resistance against Russia.
The Ukrainian president will meet Sir Keir Starmer and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, with the Prime Minister expected to underline the UK’s commitment to the defence of Ukraine.
The visit will be Mr Zelensky’s second trip to Number 10 since Sir Keir came to power after he addressed an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet in July.
It also follows a summit meeting with south-eastern European countries in Croatia on Wednesday, during which he signed an agreement with Croatian prime minister Andrej Plenkovic on co-operation between the two countries’ defence industries.
Ahead of Thursday’s visit, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the meeting with Mr Zelensky would involve “broad strategic discussions” on UK and allied support for Ukraine during a “crucial period”, rather than specific decisions.
But the Ukrainian leader is likely to once again press for permission to use long-range Storm Shadow missiles against targets in Russia.
The UK and US have so far stopped short of explicitly giving Kyiv permission to fire Western-supplied missiles at targets within Russia over concerns about further escalating the conflict, but Mr Zelensky has likened his position to having to fight with his hands tied.
Downing Street said on Wednesday that the UK’s position on using Storm Shadow had not changed.
Sir Keir was expected to meet with the leaders of France, Germany and the US at the weekend to discuss Ukraine, but the meeting has been postponed as Joe Biden remains in America to deal with the impact of Hurricane Milton.
