Starmer, Zelensky meet in London, agree military production project

LONDON: Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a new defence co-production initiative on Monday during a short visit by the Ukrainian president to London to discuss his country’s defence against Russia.

The two leaders announced the deal in the garden of Starmer’s Downing Street residence, where they also met Ukrainian troops being trained in Britain.

“I’m really proud that this afternoon, we’re able to announce an industrial military co-production agreement - the first of its kind so far as Ukraine and the UK are concerned - which will be a massive step forward now in the contribution that we can continue to make,” Starmer said.

He did not provide further details on the agreement. Zelensky said it would help strengthen both nations. Speaking alongside Starmer, the Ukrainian president thanked Britain for its support in the war against Russia.

Starmer promised the support would continue “for the rest of the conflict” and help put Ukraine in “the strongest possible position” to negotiate a ceasefire. Zelensky said his country was “very thankful to the UK... for such big support of Ukraine from the very beginning of this war”.

The Ukrainian leader earlier travelled to Windsor Castle, where he “visited The King... and remained to luncheon”, Buckingham Palace said. Zelensky is expected at the Nato summit in The Hague on Tuesday and Wednesday, where Ukraine´s allies will work “to ensure that Ukraine is in the best possible position as we go into the next stage of this conflict”, according to Starmer.

Nato allies are poised to take a “quantum leap” by hiking defence spending to counter the threat of Russia, Secretary General Mark Rutte said on the eve of the two-day summit. The alliance´s 32 members will pledge to boost defence expenditure to five percent of gross domestic product, a key demand of President Donald Trump, who has long grumbled that the US pays too much for Nato.

Nato´s members have thrashed out a compromise deal to dedicate at least 3.5 percent of GDP to core military needs by 2035, and 1.5 percent to broader security-related items like cyber-security and infrastructure. “The defence investment plan that allies will agree in The Hague introduces a new baseline, five percent of GDP to be invested in defence,” Rutte told reporters at a pre-summit news conference. “This is a quantum leap that is ambitious, historic and fundamental to securing our future.”