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Ukrainian president will meet with King Charles on Sunday ahead of a defence summit with European leaders
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Sir Keir Starmer has a £2.26billion weapons package to Ukraine following his “meaningful and warm” meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky.
Sir Keir told the Ukrainian president he has “full backing across the United Kingdom” as the men met at No 10. Mr Zelensky told the prime minister “we count on your support”.
The Ukrainian president’s meeting comes a day after his explosive White House clash with US president Donald Trump.
In contrast with the terse exchange in the Oval Office, the meeting between Sir Keir and the Ukrainian president appeared warm.
Mr Zelensky hailed a “meaningful and warm meeting” with Sir Keir Starmer. He said the UK and Ukraine signed a loan agreement to enhance Ukraine’s defense capabilities, with repayment coming from revenues from frozen Russian assets that will fund weapons production in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s finance minister said the loan was valued at £2.26bn.
Mr Zelensky will also meet with King Charles on Sunday ahead of a defence summit with European leaders in London.
The US president claimed Mr Zelensky was “gambling with World War Three” in a series of heated exchanges on Friday which were broadcast around the world.
Italy has signed a deal with Ukraine to provide Kyiv £13m for restoring its energy infrastructure amid Russia’s invasion.
The $13.5m will be directed towards Kyiv’s Energy Support Fund, according to Ukraine’s Energy Ministry.
Losses from Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have amounted to “billions of dollars,” according to the ministry.
Russia continues to target critical energy infrastructure in Ukraine with over 30 such strikes conducted in the last three years, Ukrainian energy minister Herman Halushchenko said.
Some of the key Ukrainian energy sites occupied by Russia include hydroelectric power plants, thermal power plants as well Europe’s largest Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Italy’s assistance will allow Ukraine “to procure essential equipment and strengthen the resilience of Ukraine’s energy system at a time when the enemy is relentlessly attacking energy facilities,” the country’s deputy energy minister Roman Andarak said.
There is a planned rally in support of Ukraine at Downing Street on Sunday.
The organisers plan the rally from 2pm tomorrow.
On Saturday, a group of pro-Ukrainian demonstrators could be seen outside the gates of the street, and were heard to cheer as Mr Zelensky’s convoy drove by.
The British trade envoy to Ukraine has said the UK must “move as quickly as possible” to support Kyiv in its fight against Russia.
Labour MP Alex Sobel, who has just returned from a trip to Ukraine, tells The Independent that Kyiv’s supporters must push for the roughly £239 billion in Russian assets frozen in Europe to be sent to Ukraine to help them continue the fight.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak published a piece in The Economist yesterday endorsing the same principle, which would require European legislation.
“‘Having just come back from Ukraine and meeting soldiers back from the frontline and seeing the level of reconstruction needed even now it’s clear that the odds are stacked against the Ukrainian people,” Mr Sobel says.
“It’s imperative we move as quickly as possible to legislate to mobilise frozen Russian assets for Ukraine. It’s right the aggressor pays for the unbelievable damage they have caused.”
Sir Keir Starmer has always made his backing of Ukraine clear. But as he walks a diplomatic tightrope between Europe, Ukraine and Donald Trump’s erratic behaviour, there were question marks over what his next move would be following Friday’s catastrophic clash between Zelensky and the US president.
While he has avoided calling out Donald Trump directly, today’s meet and greet with Volodymyr Zelensky on Downing Street spoke volumes.
The prime minister walked almost half way down the street to meet the Ukrainian president, before hugging him and walking him back up the street to the front door of No 10.
One of the most heavily staged Downing Street welcomes in recent history, the visuals were striking – and it was nothing short of a show of strength from the PM.
America is strong enough to survive abandoning its old allies – but if the irascible president follows through on his Oval Office warning and switches off aid to Ukraine, there will be a heavy price to pay by the entire continent, says Mark Almond
Sir Keir Starmer has invited European leaders to London tomorrow for a defence summit.
Leaders from France, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Romania have all been invited.
The presidents of the European Council, European Commission and Nato Secretary General have also been invited.
Below, we remind you of the astonishing confrontation between US president Donald Trump, his vice president JD Vance and the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
The spat, in which Mr Zelensky was insulted and abused by two figures with little regard for facts before being told to say “thank you” for American support, has caused havoc across Europe.
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