Ukraine and UK to collectively produce long-range drones, Zelenskyy says | Ukraine

Ukraine and the UK are to deepen their defence cooperation by collectively producing long-range drones, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Monday after talks with Keir Starmer in Downing Road aimed toward forcing Russia to “take into consideration peace”.

Zelenskyy stated his primary goal was “to avoid wasting as many lives as potential” and to “cease Russian terror”. Writing on social media, he known as for “most political and diplomatic coordination” and nearer work on “joint defence initiatives and weapons manufacturing”.

Talking on the Chatham Home thinktank, Ukraine’s president stated each international locations would start co-producing “long-range drones” quickly. He declined to provide particulars, however the drones are doubtless for use in opposition to strategic army targets inside Russia.

“We are going to do it collectively. I’m comfortable about these robust relations between each of our international locations,” he stated, thanking the UK, “Keir” and former governments for his or her assist of Ukraine.

Ukraine is the world’s main producer of drones, which now dominate the battlefield. Earlier this month Ukraine’s SBU safety company carried out a spectacular covert drone assault on 5 Russian airbases, destroying round 20 Russian bomber plane.

The prime minister and Zelenskyy chatted within the Downing Road backyard with Ukrainian troops being educated within the UK. Earlier Ukraine’s president described Russia, Iran and North Korea as a “coalition of murderers”.

He arrived in London hours after the Kremlin launched one other massive air raid on Kyiv. It concerned 352 drones – half of them had been Iranian-designed Shaheds – and North Korean ballistic missiles in what Zelenskyy known as “a very cynical strike”.

A minimum of 14 folks had been killed and 5 civilian condo blocks badly broken. “Numerous drones and missiles had been shot down by our air defenders – however not all,” Zelenskyy posted on social media.

“Everybody in international locations neighbouring Russia, Iran, and North Korea needs to be pondering rigorously about whether or not they might defend lives if this coalition of murderers persists and continues spreading their terror.”

Zelenskyy has supported Donald Trump’s missile strikes on Iran’s nuclear services and has accused Tehran of complicity in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its fourth 12 months. Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons arsenal within the Nineties in alternate for US, British and Russian safety ensures.

These failed, nonetheless, to forestall Vladimir Putin’s 2022 assault. Zelenskyy’s newest journey to the UK was to debate tips on how to compel Russia to cease its battle, Ukrainian officers stated.

His earlier go to in March adopted a disastrous assembly within the Oval Workplace through which Trump accused him of “playing with world battle three” and the US vice-president, JD Vance, berated him for supposed ingratitude.

Monday’s discussions encompassed sanctions and the Trump administration, which has to this point refused to punish Russia and has virtually ended US weapons deliveries to Kyiv. Ukraine has been trying to maintain Washington onside diplomatically, regardless of its obvious pivot to Moscow.

“We will probably be negotiating new and highly effective steps to extend stress on Russia for this battle and to place an finish to the strikes,” Zelenskyy stated of his London journey. In addition to talks with Starmer, he met King Charles at Windsor Citadel.

Zelenskyy will journey to this week’s two-day Nato summit in The Hague and is scheduled to satisfy the alliance’s secretary basic, Mark Rutte. It’s unclear if he may have a face-to-face assembly with Trump, who is predicted to reach on Tuesday and push for larger defence spending from Nato member states.

Since Trump’s return to the White Home in January, Russia has dramatically stepped up its aerial assaults on Ukraine. It has refused Zelenskyy’s provide of a 30-day ceasefire and continues to focus on civilians. Monday’s strikes hit a residential space, hospitals and sports activities infrastructure.

Essentially the most extreme harm was in Shevchenkivskyi district, the place a piece of a five-storey condo constructing collapsed. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, stated six folks had been killed within the district. Ten others, together with a pregnant lady, had been rescued from a close-by high-rise that additionally sustained heavy harm.

Oleksii Pozychaniuk, 29, who lives within the constructing subsequent to the one struck, stated he heard the whistle of a rocket approaching and “froze in terror” earlier than feeling the affect. “Home windows blew out, glass was flying all over the place,” he informed the Related Press. “We barely made it downstairs with my little one. Every part right here was on hearth.”