Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to visit Downing Street on Thursday as he continues his efforts to secure additional support from European nations in Ukraine’s ongoing resistance

against Russia. This will mark his second visit to Number 10 since Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer took office.

During the visit, Zelensky will meet with Sir Keir and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir is expected to reaffirm the UK's steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine’s defense.

Zelensky’s visit comes on the heels of a summit with southeastern European countries in Croatia, where he signed a defense cooperation agreement with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. The Downing Street meeting will involve "broad strategic discussions" on continued UK and allied support for Ukraine during a crucial period in the conflict, according to a spokesperson for the Prime Minister. Specific decisions, however, are not expected during the talks.

Zelensky is likely to press once again for permission to use long-range Storm Shadow missiles against targets in Russia. While the UK and US have provided these missiles to Ukraine, they have refrained from allowing them to be used directly against Russian territory, citing concerns over escalating the conflict.

Downing Street confirmed on Wednesday that its position on the use of Storm Shadow missiles has not changed.

Sir Keir was also scheduled to meet with the leaders of France, Germany, and the US this weekend to discuss the Ukraine situation, but the meeting has been postponed as US President Joe Biden remains in America to manage the impact of Hurricane Milton. Photo by President.gov.ua, Wikimedia commons.