Tag: President Zelenskky

President Zelenskyy to visit Downing Street today as UK ‘doubles down’ on support for Ukraine

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  • Prime Minister to host President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street today to underline the UK’s rock-solid support for Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes‘
  • UK will ‘double down’ on support for Ukraine, with the Prime Minister set to tell President Zelenskyy that he has asked Ministers to draw up further sanctions, military support and fiscal packages to provide urgent support in the coming weeks, and will accelerate delivery of critical air defence missiles
  • Comes as the Chancellor presses partners at the IMF meetings to step up support for Ukraine and ensure Russia heeds the US’ call for a full energy ceasefire.

President Zelenskyy will arrive in the UK this morning as the UK calls on international partners to step up sanctions on Russia and increase pressure on Putin to respect the United States’ calls for an energy ceasefire.

It comes as the UK doubles down on support for Ukraine, including delivering £45 million of surface-to-air missiles deliveries and standing by plans to fully implement a maritime services ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports – restricting Russia’s access to the UK’s world leading shipping and insurance services.

The UK will accelerate deliveries of British Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMMs), which have proven extremely effective against jet-powered drones that are being used to strike far beyond the front lines in Ukraine, including Kyiv and beyond.

The drones are faster and can fly far higher than propeller-driven Shaheds, making them harder to detect and destroy before they hit targets.

The UK has already committed £1.6 billion to deliver more than 5000 LMMs to Ukraine over the next four years and will accelerate £10 million of the £45m package of missiles announced today to meet Ukraine’s most urgent winter requirements. 

Ahead of the two leaders meeting today, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “Our rock-solid support to Ukraine is vital for keeping us safe here in the UK and ensuring those on the frontlines have the equipment they need to push back Russia.

“My message to the Ukrainian people could not be clearer, we are with you for as long as it takes, and we will go further and faster in our support to back your courageous fight for peace in Europe.

“It is not just the right thing to do, but it’s the necessary thing to do. Russia’s aggression cannot be allowed to succeed on our continent.”

The Prime Minister has also asked Ministers to draw up further sanctions, military aid, and fiscal packages to provide urgent support in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Chancellor John Healey will use his meetings at the IMF in Bangkok to urge partners to fully implement an equivalent ban on Russian LNG, following the UK’s lead. This comes after the Foreign Secretary did the same with partners at the Warsaw Security Forum yesterday.

As Russia continues its bombardment of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and energy infrastructure, the Chancellor will argue that this must be met by European resolve and unity – ensuring our unshakeable commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty stands strong.   

Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey said: “Conflict in the Middle East and in Europe is hitting people across the world.

“As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Putin continues, our commitment to the Ukrainian people is unshakeable.

“I urge partners to back the ban on Russian LNG, like we have done in the UK, to curtail the war chest funding Putin so desperately wants.”

Prime Minister to host President Zelenskyy at Downing Street

UK SPEARHEADS CRACKDOWN ON RUSSIA’S ‘SHADOW FLEET’

  • President Zelenskyy will be hosted by the Prime Minister at an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet this morning

President Zelenskyy will be hosted by the Prime Minister at an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet tomorrow morning, as the UK spearheads a major initiative to crack down on Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’. 

The Ukrainian leader, who will be the first official visitor to Downing Street during Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s tenure, is expected to meet and brief the new Cabinet about the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine, and the need to ramp up Europe’s defence industrial base to outpace the Russian threat. The last foreign leader to address the Cabinet in person was President Clinton in 1997. 

The meeting comes after the launch of a ‘Call to Action’ to disrupt the Russian fleet – which is enabling Russia to evade international sanctions – at the European Political Community summit yesterday.  

Spearheaded by the UK, 44 European countries plus the European Union have agreed to work together to tackle the use of illegitimate vessels, which also pose significant security and environmental threats to European waterways. 

The shadow fleet is made up of around 600 vessels and represents approximately 10% of the global “wet cargo” fleet. It carries approximately 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, generating significant funds to fuel Russia’s war machine.

Some of the ships are also alleged to double as Russian listening stations, while others are believed to be transporting weaponry to Russia.

The Prime Minister is expected to tell President Zelenskyy today that the UK will go further in the coming months to place a greater stranglehold on Putin’s war machine. 

The two leaders are also expected to agree a Defence Export Support Treaty, which will be signed by defence ministers, to fire up both the UK’s and Ukraine’s defence industrial bases and increase military hardware and weaponry production.

The treaty will enable Ukraine to draw on £3.5 billion of export finance, to support its armed forces. It will also allow Ukrainian and UK defence companies to invest in further military capabilities and continue to rapidly innovate on new and novel military hardware. 

The boost follows the opening of a major UK repair and overhaul facility in Ukraine to help sustain the war effort. BAE Systems opened the facility to allow Ukraine to return overhauled land vehicles back to the front line quicker. 

The export finance is in addition to the £3 billion a year of UK support, announced by the Prime Minister at NATO, to support Ukraine’s defence for as long as it takes. 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Ukraine is, and always will be, at the heart of this government’s agenda and so it is only fitting that President Zelenskyy will make a historic address to my Cabinet.

“Russia’s incremental gains on the battlefield are nothing compared with the collective international support for Ukraine, or the strength of ties between our people.

“And alongside our European partners, we have sent a clear message to those enabling Putin’s attempts to evade sanctions: we will not allow Russia’s shadow fleet, and the dirty money it generates, to flow freely through European waters and put our security at risk.”

The UK has also sanctioned a host of oil tankers today, which transport Russian oil. Among the new ships targeted are the ROCKY RUNNER (IMO 9288899), which sought to escape previous UK action by changing its operator.

This follows after UK action last month that halted tankers collectively responsible for transporting approximately 13 million barrels of Russian crude and oil products since January 2023, worth approximately $930 million.

The ‘shadow fleet’, also known as the ‘dark fleet’, poses serious maritime security and environmental risks. The vessels are often old and unsafe, and engage in dangerous and deceptive shipping practices, such as turning off location tracking systems, which flouts international maritime standards, and increases the likelihood of catastrophic incidents. 

EPC states govern some of the world’s busiest and most important waterways, and dozens of incidents are known to have already taken place, such as onboard fires, engine failures, oil spills and collisions, and many of the vessels lack the appropriate insurance. 

The UK has already taken robust action to restrict Russian revenues, including implementing the most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy – sanctioning more than 2,000 individuals and entities since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including 29 banks with global assets worth £1 trillion, more than 131 oligarchs with a combined net worth of more than £147 billion at the time of the invasion, and more than £20 billion worth of UK-Russia bilateral trade.   

Action to disrupt and deter the shadow fleet comes after the UK contributed £40 million to NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine last week, ensuring Ukraine can access vital assistance for counter drone protection, demining of recaptured land and the medical rehabilitation of its injured military personnel. That followed the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine placing new orders, worth £300 million, for 120,000 rounds of 152mm Soviet-era ammunition to bolster Ukraine’s defences against Russia. 

The leaders are also expected to discuss the conclusion of UK – Ukraine negotiations to provide £181 million of support to Energoatom for the supply of nuclear fuel from Urenco.