Zelensky meets Starmer during visit to UK
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the U.K. on Oct. 10, meeting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Downing Street.
Zelensky's visit will include talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and is part of a broader European tour, which began on Oct. 9 with a visit to Croatia.
The Ukrainian president is meeting Western leaders in lieu of a postponed Ramstein-format summit that was to be held on Oct. 12.
The allied gathering, where Zelensky was initially expected to pitch his country's victory plan, was delayed after U.S. President Joe Biden canceled his overseas travel to handle Hurricane Milton.
Starmer greeted Zelensky in Downing Street before starting bilateral talks, the topics of which had not been made public.
One of the issues that may be discussed includes Kyiv's request for permission to strike deep inside Russian territory with British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, the BBC reported.
Multiple reports suggest that London favors easing restrictions on long-range strikes but awaits a decision from Washington, whose technology is necessary for the launch of Storm Shadow missiles against Russian soil.
Zelensky's tour will continue with visits to France, Italy, and Germany in an effort to ramp up support across the European continent ahead of the uncertain U.S. election.
Ukraine faces an increasingly difficult situation in the war, with Russian forces steadily pushing forward along the eastern front and growing anxieties over energy deficits in the coming winter.
There are fears that if Republican candidate Donald Trump returns to the White House, the U.S. might scale down its support or push Kyiv toward peace at the cost of painful territorial concessions.
Owen Racer
