UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer tells Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that support for Kyiv must continue despite the Middle East conflict, as they sign a new defence partnership

LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that international focus “must remain on Ukraine” despite the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Starmer made the remarks during Zelensky’s visit to his Downing Street residence, part of a tour of European capitals that included Paris and will proceed to Madrid.

The Ukrainian leader’s trip comes as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran risks overshadowing Kyiv’s four-year fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“I think it’s really important that we are clear that the focus must remain on Ukraine,” Starmer said.

“There’s obviously a conflict in Iran going on, in the Middle East, but we can’t lose focus on what’s going on in Ukraine and the need for our support,” he added.

The two leaders signed a new UK-Ukraine defence partnership aimed at leveraging Kyiv’s expertise in countering drones.

The agreement seeks to combine Ukraine’s battlefield experience with Britain’s industrial base to manufacture and supply drones and related innovative capabilities.

It will also provide 500,000 pounds to fund an “AI Centre of Excellence” within the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.

Starmer’s office said the pact would “boost global defensive capability against the proliferation of low-cost, high-tech military hardware, including drones”.

Addressing the UK parliament, Zelensky said 201 Ukrainian anti-drone experts were already in the Middle East helping defend against Iranian-designed Shahed drones.

He stated the teams were in the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia and were heading to Kuwait, with another 34 specialists ready to deploy.

“We do not want this terror of the Iranian regime against its neighbours to succeed,” Zelensky said in a speech highlighting Kyiv’s honed expertise.

Zelensky also met with King Charles III in a private audience at Buckingham Palace.

“I thank His Majesty and the entire Royal Family for their unwavering support and solidarity with Ukraine,” Zelensky later wrote on social media.

“Our resolve is unbreakable,” Starmer said, reiterating the UK’s long-standing backing for Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president was also due to meet NATO chief Mark Rutte during his London visit.

 The Sun Malaysia