Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met British Prime Minister Keir Stormer in London to sign a new defense deal, as the unfolding US-Israeli war over Iran threatens to divert international attention from Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Days after the U.S. partially lifted sanctions against Moscow to cool oil prices that have been fueled by an attack on Iran, Starmer welcomed Zelensky at his official Downing Street residence on Tuesday, assuring the Ukrainian leader that “the focus must be on Ukraine.”
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The British Prime Minister’s Office said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will also attend the meeting to discuss peace-building efforts in Ukraine, which have so far been led by the US, but “the need to maintain sanctions pressure on Russia” as the war on Iran escalates.
“There’s obviously conflict in the Middle East in Iran, but we can’t lose focus on what’s going on in Ukraine and the need for our support there,” Starmer said, meeting Zelensky to sign a defense partnership aimed at boosting “global defense capability against the proliferation of low-cost, high-tech military hardware.”
Starmer’s office said the deal would combine Ukraine’s “expertise” in building high-tech, battle-tested drone interceptors and the UK’s “industrial base to manufacture and supply drones and innovative capabilities”.
“Drones, electronic warfare and rapid battlefield innovation are now central to national and economic security, and that has been exacerbated by the conflict in the Middle East,” Stormer said in a statement.
“Our priorities are clear – more security and opportunities for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said on his arrival in London ahead of a visit to Spain on Wednesday.
Turkey has offered to host talks while US efforts stall
While Zelensky met Stormer, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke by phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to host the next round of talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said the discussion focused on the risks posed by protracted war to regional nations and the international order, while also addressing issues related to energy security.
Phidan’s proposal comes as US-mediated talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine, which have so far yielded no significant progress on key issues, have lost momentum amid the Middle East conflict.
In addition to diverting attention from peace efforts, the war in Iran is draining Kyiv’s stockpile of air defense missiles critical to shooting down Russian missiles.
Ed Arnold, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, told the Associated Press news agency that Ukraine is the “ultimate loser” of a war with Iran.
Zelenskyy hopes to leverage Ukraine’s expertise in drone interception to acquire the expensive defense systems needed to defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles.
More than 200 Ukrainian experts are currently in the Middle East to help countries take down Iranian drones, he said on Tuesday.
Ukraine claims it ‘destroyed’ Russia’s March offensive
Meanwhile, on the ground, Ukraine’s counterattacks at points east and south of the frontline have scuppered Moscow’s plans for a March offensive, Zelensky said Monday evening.
His comments could not be independently verified, but the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said on Monday that the Ukrainian counterattacks were “likely to block” some of Russia’s offensive operations.
The Russian attack damaged industrial, port and energy infrastructure facilities in Ukraine’s Odesa region on the Black Sea overnight. Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said the fire was quickly extinguished and there were no casualties.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia had launched 178 long-range drones of various types overnight across the country since late Monday, of which 154 were intercepted or 22 more hit their targets.
In the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia, a Russian strike damaged a terminal of Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s largest private delivery company, the company said in a telegram.
Eight people were injured, according to Ivan Fedorov, governor of the Zaporizhia region.
Russia’s defense ministry said on Tuesday that its air defense intercepted and destroyed 206 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian territories, Ukraine’s annexed Crimean Peninsula and the Sea of Azov.
A total of 40 intercepted drones were flying towards Moscow, the ministry said.
Asked about the increase in Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow over the past few days, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said authorities in Kyiv were “continuing a completely futile resistance” to Russian aggression.
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