Starmer’s official spokesperson said Wednesday that the PM will be “reiterating the U.K.’s ironclad support for Ukraine in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.”
NATO’s new Secretary-General Mark Rutte will also meet Starmer and Zelenskyy in London, Downing Street confirmed. It marks the first international trip in the role by Rutte, who stressed last week that Kyiv’s right to self-defense “does not end at the border.”
Allied countries had been scheduled to attend a key summit this weekend aimed at coordinating more military support for Ukraine, but the meet was canceled to allow U.S. President Joe Biden to focus on the domestic response to Hurricane Milton, which is currently bearing down on Florida.
At the end of a three-day trip to Germany, Biden had been due to chair a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a loose alliance of more than 50 countries known as the Ramstein Format, named after the air base where it is usually held.
“The October 12, 2024 event is postponed,” the U.S.-managed Ramstein Air Base said in an emailed note on Wednesday. “Announcements about future Ukraine Defense Contact Group meetings will be forthcoming.”
Britain’s Starmer has tried to demonstrate his country’s staunch support for Ukraine since taking office.