Prime minister to face MPs at PMQs before hosting Ukraine’s president in London
Good morning. Andy Burnham is taking PMQs this afternoon, but he will regard his most important engagement as the meeting he has with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, later in No 10. Peter Walker has a preview.
When Keir Starmer talked about his best achievements as PM, he said one of the things he was most proud of was being able to embrace Zelenskyy outside No 10 only 24 hours after President Trump humiliated him in the Oval Office, in what was a moving and unequivocal show of British support for Ukraine at a moment of peril. The circumstances are not exactly the same today, but Trump called for Zelenskyy to be replaced at the weekend, and – again – Burnham is signalling that, if Ukraine cannot always rely on Washington, it can rely on London.
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.
The [Russian] 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 5,000 LMMs to Ukraine over the next four years and will accelerate £10m of the £45m package of missiles announced today to meet Ukraine’s most urgent winter requirements.
