UK to Speed Air Defense Aid

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the United Kingdom would accelerate deliveries of British-made air defense systems during a meeting with Prime Minister Andy Burnham in London. The leaders discussed defense and financial support, bilateral cooperation and Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said Russia had launched 39 ballistic missiles and more than 100 Shahed drones in an overnight assault that killed and injured people and targeted energy infrastructure, logistics and railways. He said more than 40 drones remained in Ukrainian airspace at the time of the meeting and stressed the need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses.

Burnham said he had instructed government ministers to explore additional ways to support Ukraine and condemned the attacks on critical infrastructure. He expressed condolences to the families of Ukrainians killed in the strikes and said the assaults made clear who the aggressor was.

The meeting was the second between Zelenskyy and Burnham in the United Kingdom. Their first meeting took place at a Royal Navy base in Portsmouth in July, according to the Ukrainian president’s office.