🔗 Share this article

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to urge supporting countries to provide Ukrainian forces with additional extended-range weaponry to target Russian targets during talks in London on this Friday.

The prime minister is set to welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alongside the so-called "group of committed partners", consisting of numerous of Ukraine's allies who have agreed to offer Kyiv defense assurances once a ceasefire is arranged.

The Ukrainian leader has been pleading for an extended period for more long-range weapons from allied countries, a move that the Russian government has stated would intensify the conflict.

President Zelensky is journeying from Brussels, where he conferred with EU leaders on Thursday requesting financial support.

"The single figure participating in the ongoing war who does not want to end the war is Vladimir Putin," Starmer remarked.

Sir Keir will also declare that one hundred extra air defense systems will be supplied to Kyiv sooner than scheduled, as specified in a multi-billion pound agreement struck between Britain and Kyiv in March.

International Support

The Ukrainian president arrives off the back of important international achievements this week: the US President's move to enact additional restrictions against the Russian government, and the European Union agreeing to finance Ukraine's financial gap.

Britain's leader is hoping to sustain the momentum by intensifying the leverage on the Kremlin to discuss a conclusion to the hostilities.

Conference Delegates

• Alliance chief Mark Rutte
• Denmark's Prime Minister Frederiksen
• Dutch the Netherlands leader
• Further attendees like French President Macron will participate remotely

Sir Keir will urge participants to ramp up the supply of long-range weapons following a successful attack on a chemical plant in the Russian city, Russia, using UK-provided Storm Shadow missiles.

"Furthermore, his horrific assaults on innocent children in a nursery this week demonstrate that perfectly obvious," he added.

Two children were included in at least seven killed in multiple Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory, which targeted a nursery in the second biggest city the eastern city.

Economic Talks

The Prime Minister will discuss with Western allies on methods to take Russia's petroleum resources from international trade.

The participants will furthermore consider utilizing seized Moscow funds to provide Ukraine with financial loans, while the proposal faced a lack of political consensus and jurisdictional challenges at the European meeting on the previous day.

The EU stopped short of agreeing an initiative to employ up to €140bn in blocked Moscow funds to economically support the Ukrainian economy.

Nevertheless, the delegates agreed to contribute to Kyiv's "financial needs" for the next two years.

The US also disclosed restrictions on recently against Moscow's major energy corporations, Rosneft and the private firm, as part of efforts to increase monetary leverage on Russia to commence peace talks.

The Russian government launched its major offensive of the country in February 2022. Russian troops presently holds about 20% of the country's land, comprising the southern Crimea peninsular the Russian government took control of in several years ago.