"We will stand by you until the end." This was the warm welcome from Keir Starmer to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy upon his arrival at Downing Street this Saturday, less than 24 hours after a shouting match with Donald Trump in the Oval Office in Washington, where they were supposed to sign an agreement regarding Ukrainian rare earth minerals.
Starmer and Zelenskyy are holding this bilateral meeting in London ahead of the European leaders summit that the British Prime Minister will host this Sunday, where the end of the war between Russia and Ukraine will be discussed, along with European defense in general. Additionally, the Ukrainian President is scheduled to meet with King Charles III at the request of the British government.
Before entering 10 Downing Street, Starmer told Zelenskyy: "You have the full support of the United Kingdom, and we will stand with you and Ukraine for as long as it takes." The British Prime Minister added that his country has an "absolute" and "unwavering" determination to achieve "what we both want to achieve, which is (...) a lasting peace for Ukraine based on sovereignty and security."
Zelenskyy thanked Starmer for his support and King Charles III for agreeing to meet with him tomorrow, Sunday. "We are glad to have partners and friends like this," he stated.