The trip comes as Ukraine’s allies fear U.S. President Donald Trump’s attention risks being diverted away from the long-running Ukrainian fight against Russia as he deepens American involvement in the Middle East.
Speaking in parliament, Zelenskyy sought to explicitly link the two conflicts, describing the Russian and Iranian regimes as “brothers in hatred.”
“Aggressors don’t end wars because they suddenly want to,” he said. “They stop when they can no longer continue. We must act now so that a future generation will say these leaders acted when it mattered.”
Talking up Ukraine’s own military prowess, Zelenskyy warned: “If evil wins, the evolution of war will cross any distance on earth. No ocean will help. No desert. No mountains.”
Earlier Tuesday, Starmer told Zelenskyy: “It’s really important that we are clear that the focus must remain on Ukraine.
“There’s obviously a conflict in Iran going on, in the Middle East, but we can’t lose focus on what’s going on in Ukraine and the need for our support.”
Starmer said Russian President Vladimir Putin must not benefit from the conflict in Iran whether “that’s oil prices or the dropping of sanctions.”
The U.K. and Ukraine agreed a defense partnership Tuesday aimed at boosting the two countries’ ability to push back against drones. Britain will also fund an Artificial Intelligent “Centre of Excellence” sitting inside the Ministry of Defense in Kyiv.