Starmer, Zelenskyy urge ‘focus’ on Ukraine as Iran war diverts attention
Al Jazeera
As the leaders of UK and Ukraine meet, Turkiye’s top diplomat Hakan Fidan reiterates his country’s offer to host Russia-Ukraine talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London to sign a new defence pact as the unfolding US-Israeli war on Iran threatened to divert international attention away from Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.
Starmer welcomed Zelenskyy at his official Downing Street residence on Tuesday, reassuring the Ukrainian leader that “the focus must remain on Ukraine”, days after the US partially rolled back sanctions against Moscow to cool oil prices sent soaring by its attacks on Iran.
The British Prime Minister’s office said NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte would also join the meeting to discuss peacemaking efforts in Ukraine, which have so far been led by the US, but have stalled as the war on Iran escalates, and “the need to maintain sanctions pressure on Russia”.
“There is 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 there,” said Starmer, who was meeting Zelenskyy to sign a defence partnership aimed at boosting “global defensive capability against the proliferation of low-cost, high-tech military hardware”.
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”, said Starmer’s office.
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