Zelensky signs UK drone deal, calls it 'important step' for defense

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a drone deal with the United Kingdom on March 17 after a day of high-level meetings with British leaders in London.

"Today we signed a Declaration on Deepening Cooperation in the Field of Security and the Defense Industry," Zelensky said in a social media post following a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "This is an important step to strengthen our defense."

Earlier in the day, Zelensky met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace before departing for talks with Starmer, presidential spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov told reporters.

"I would like to thank His Majesty and the entire royal family for their unwavering support and solidarity with Ukraine," the president said on X.

"Our priorities are clear — more security and opportunities for Ukraine," he added.

The visit comes weeks after the British prime minister invited Ukrainian experts to help counter Iranian drones amid ongoing hostilities in the Middle East.

The new conflict erupted after the U.S. and Israel carried out combined attacks against Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran responded by launching waves of missiles and drones against targets across the region, including at a British military base in Cyprus.

Speaking before his meeting with Zelensky, U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said it was "increasingly important that we build on Ukrainian expertise and innovation."

Ukraine, which has faced Russian attacks using hundreds of Iranian-designed Shahed drones on a regular basis, has dispatched experts and interceptor drones to the Middle East to help counter Iran's attacks.

As part of the visit, Zelensky addressed the British Parliament and held a three-way meeting with Starmer and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The U.K. has been a key ally of Ukraine during Russia's full-scale war and a leading player in the Coalition of the Willing, a group of over 30 countries aiming to provide Kyiv with post-war security guarantees.

Zelensky is visiting London less than a week after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and the Romanian leadership in Bucharest, a series of visits designed to bolster cooperation with European allies amid the war.

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