Starmer meets Zelenskiy on final visit to Ukraine before leaving office

Keir Starmer has met Volodymyr Zelenskiy on his final visit to Kyiv as UK prime minister, after pledging Britain’s support for Ukraine will “always endure”.

The men met in the Ukrainian capital on Thursday just hours after a series of Russian strikes that killed two and injured six, including a teenager.

After a visit to Kyiv’s memorial wall, Zelenskiy paid tribute to Starmer, thanking him and the UK “for their unwavering respect for our warriors” who had “made the ultimate sacrifice to defend Ukraine and all of Europe”.

Starmer’s visit comes on his final full day as Labour leader. Andy Burnham will take over the party leadership at a special conference in London on Friday before entering Downing Street on Monday.

The prime minister is expected to use the trip to reassure Zelenskiy that his successor will maintain the UK’s support for Ukraine.

Ahead of the trip, he said Britain and its allies were “absolutely united against Russian aggression” and the UK’s “cast-iron support for Ukraine will always endure”.

He said: “Throughout this conflict, I have seen the incredible fortitude of the Ukrainian people and the iron will of a nation that refuses to be cowed.

“Their stand has not only defended its own freedom, it has preserved the security of Europe.

“When I became Prime Minister, I knew the UK must not simply stand with Ukraine in the moment, but help build the foundations of its long-term security and success.

“That’s why we put the UK at the centre of a stronger Europe – investing more money into defence, leading the way in the war, fighting technologies of the future and doing everything we can to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position.”

He is also expected to hear how allies can further meet the needs of Ukraine.

Starmer has spent much of his final week in office focused on Ukraine, travelling to Paris on Monday for a meeting of the “coalition of the willing” at which he announced the UK would join the EU’s €90 billion (£78 billion) loan to Kyiv.

His time in office has been characterised by strong support for Ukraine, signing a 100-year partnership with the country and leading plans for a peacekeeping force to be deployed in the event of a ceasefire.