Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warmly welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street, ahead of Friday’s meeting of the “coalition of the willing”.
The two leaders exchanged some words and posed for photos before heading into the black door at 10 Downing Street.
Zelenskyy’s visit came after his audience with King Charles at Windsor Castle, where he was greeted with a royal salute and the Ukrainian national anthem.
At the top of the bilateral meeting, Starmer said: “Through seeing His Majesty, through our meeting and through the coalition of the willing, we reaffirm again our support for you and Ukraine and our absolute commitment to meeting the challenge of Russian aggression.
“I do think that this week we can really bear down on Russian oil and gas. Huge steps forward this week already.
“I think there’s further we can do on capability, particularly… long-range capability, and of course, the vital work for the coalition of the willing when it comes to the security guarantees that are necessary.”
“We stand, as we’ve always stood, as your closest supporter and ally.”
Zelenskyy agreed with the prime minister’s statement, adding that Putin isn’t showing a willingness to stop the war.
He said Russian aggression was pushing Ukraine into a “humanitarian disaster” with attacks targeting infrastructure, including Ukraine’s energy sector.
Starmer is set to urge allies at Friday’s talks to increase Ukraine’s supply of long-range weapons and boost Ukraine’s defences, while increasing pressure on Moscow to end the war.
Zelenskyy, the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Dutch Premier Dick Schoof, and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte are to meet in London, while around 20 other leaders will dial in to the coalition of the willing session – an initiative led by Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron.
Further efforts to cripple the economy supporting Vladimir Putin’s war will also be discussed – including ways to take Russian oil and gas off the global market, and ways to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s defences.
The prime minister and Ukrainian president were greeted by Ukrainian schoolchildren, waving Ukraine’s flag, as they arrived for the meeting.
The meeting of the coalition of the willing comes after US President Donald Trump’s plans for talks with Putin were put on hold, and he imposed sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil firms, Rosneft and Lukoil.
Starmer said: “From the battlefield to the global markets, as Putin continues to commit atrocities in Ukraine, we must ratchet up the pressure on Russia and build on President Trump’s decisive action.
“After all, Ukraine’s security matters to us all, and what happens on the front line of Donetsk today is shaping our collective future for years to come.”
The allies will also discuss how to protect Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, a key demand by Zelenskyy ahead of the winter.
The Ukrainian leader has warned that “Russia is actively trying to turn the cold weather into a weapon” by striking power facilities.
The prime minister will announce that a UK missile-building programme has been accelerated to deliver an extra 140 air defence missiles this winter.
The package forms part of the £1.6 billion deal between UK industry and Ukraine in March to provide more than 5,000 lightweight multirole missiles, creating 200 jobs and supporting 700 existing roles at Thales in Belfast.
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