Russian drone flew over presidential palace during Zelensky-Starmer meeting, Guardian reports

A Russian drone flew over the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv as President Volodymyr Zelensky was meeting U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Jan. 16, The Guardian reported.

The drone incursion came as Starmer arrived in Ukraine's capital on his first visit since taking office.

Explosions were heard in downtown Kyiv around 12:20 p.m. local time, according to Kyiv Independent reporters. Air defense was trying to shoot down a drone as two leaders held talks, The Guardian reported.

The drone was spotted and heard buzzing above the Mariinsky Palace, the presidential residence, located not far from the Presidential Office. Zelensky and Starmer held a press conference there later the same day.

The unmanned aerial vehicle spotted above the palace may have been a decoy, according to The Guardian.

Kyiv and London signed a wide-ranging "100 Year Partnership" treaty covering a number of areas, including defense, energy, trade, culture, and other sectors.

"We will send greetings (to Russia) too," Zelensky said at a press conference when asked about the recent Russian drone attack, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

Debris from downed Russian drones fell in five districts of Kyiv, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city's military administration. No casualties or fires were reported.

The Pecherskyi district, where the Presidential Office is located, came under a Russian drone attack also on the morning of Jan. 1. Two people, a couple of prominent scientists, were killed, and six others were injured.

UK to finance production of air defense, long-range weapons in Ukraine, Umerov says

“The U.K. has already invested in the production of our weapons, and this collaboration continues — specifically, funding will be directed toward the production of air defense systems and long-range weapons,” Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova