Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin’s forces launch drone attack on Kyiv as Starmer visits to sign ‘100-year deal’ – UK Times

The British prime minister and Volodymyr Zelensky have discussed a French-backed proposal for Western peacekeepers being deployed in Ukraine after any potential ceasefire with Russia.

The two leaders spoke about the plan as Sir Keir Starmer made a surprise visit to war-torn Kyiv on Thursday – but Zelensky said it was “too early to talk about details.”

Sir Keir did not commit to being part of such an arrangement but said “we will work with you and all of our allies on steps that would be robust enough to guarantee Ukraine’s security”.

The idea would see British and French soldiers deployed to the country and has been championed by French president Emmanuel Macron.

A major Russian gunpowder factory was attacked, a Ukrainian official said on Thursday, without claiming responsibility for the attack.

The factory, in Rudsia’s Tambov region, is “one of the main suppliers of explosive materials” for the Russian army, Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, wrote on Telegram.

“With the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, production at the plant increased significantly,” he added.

Mr Kovalenko did not specify what the consequences of the attack on the factory were, and Russian has not yet commented on the attack.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has discussed the deployment of foreign troops with the UK, he said in a joint press conference with British prime minister Keir Starmer.

It is as-yet unclear what the conclusion of these discussions were, and whether the UK will send any troops to Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky has also discussed the topic with France, Poland, and Baltic countries, he added.

The remarks came in a joint press conference between the leaders, in which Sir Keir said the UK would continue working to guarantee Ukraine’s security.

“We will work with you and all of our allies on steps that would be robust enough to guarantee Ukraine’s security. We will play our full part,” he said.

Sir Keir Starmer and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky have signed the landmark 100-year partnership agreement to strengthen the countries’ relationship.

“Today is a truly historic day, our relationship is closer than ever,” Mr Zelensky told media after the signing the partnership, which will depeen security ties between the countries, on Thursday.

The UK will deliver a new mobile air defence system to Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer told a joint press conference with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

The defence system would be “developed to meet Ukraine’s needs,” Sir Keir said.

The Italian defence chief was also in Kyiv on Thursday, two days after Germany’s defence minister visited and three days after Zelenskyy talked by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron.

These visits are intended to reassure Ukraine but also signal to the US that Europe is getting serious about defending Europe, The Independent’s World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley writes.

Trump’s recent demand that Nato nations should spend 5 per cent off the Gross Domestic Product on defence is being seen as difficult, but not unreasonable.

There are also signs that the Europeans don’t fully trust Trump in dealing with Russia over Ukraine and fears that he might favour the Kremlin over America’s long term allies.

Britain says its 100-year pledge is part of that assurance and will help ensure that Ukraine is “never again vulnerable to the kind of brutality inflicted on it by Russia”.

This bilateral agreement is intended to offset any decline in multilateral Nato support. The UK will be committed to work with Ukraine in defence, especially in the Black Sea, and drone technology.

Ukraine‘s military said on Thursday it hit a Russian oil depot in the Voronezh region of Russia overnight.

At least three drones hit a target, causing a fire, Ukraine‘s general staff said on Telegram. It added that the depot stored fuel used by the Russian military.

It comes as Russian forces launched a drone attack on Kyiv during Sir Keir Starmer’s visit.

It’s a busy day for the UK prime minister who arrived at Kyiv railway station this morning on a surprise visit to Ukraine’s capital.

During the visit, Starmer and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky laid flowers at a wall of remembrance for those killed in the war. The wall outside St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, a Kyiv landmark, is covered in photos of the slain, stretching for a city block.

It has become a place of pilgrimage for families paying tribute to their lost loved ones. Sir Keir also visited a Kyiv hospital specialising in burn treatment. While Sir Keir was later meeting with Mr Zelensky at the presidential palace, a car and a building were damaged elsewhere in Kyiv by debris from Russian drones shot down by Ukraine’s air defenses, according to city adminstration chief Tymur Tkachenko.

We expect to hear more from Sir Keir following his meeting today.

Vladimir Putin’s troops have attacked Kyiv as British prime minister Keir Starmer walked around the war-torn city on Thursday.

Ukrainian air defences rushed to down a Russian drone after explosions were reported throughout the Ukrainian capital during Sir Keir’s visit.

There were no casualties as a result of the day-time attack, but a car was damaged by falling debris, according to a city official.