Overview
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy with French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz at 10 Downing Street to coordinate stepped-up support.
- Officials focused on speeding shipments of air-defense weapons and on proposals for security guarantees to protect civilians and critical infrastructure from long-range drone and missile strikes.
- Recent attacks have raised alarm: a Russian drone strike killed three people at a bus stop in Zaporizhzhia and another strike damaged a spent-fuel storage site near Chernobyl, prompting the IAEA to plan a site visit.
- Ukraine has shown the ability to strike deep inside Russia, including a large drone attack on Saint Petersburg and a deadly strike in the Kursk region, and Russian leaders have rejected Zelenskyy's offer for direct talks.
- European coordination aims to translate diplomatic backing into tangible help and greater negotiating leverage for Kyiv, which could lead to faster arms deliveries and closer planning among Western partners.