GB News
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the King this afternoon, a Buckingham Palace spokesman confirmed to GB News. They told the People's Channel: "The President of Ukraine visited The King this afternoon." The royal audience followed high-level discussions at Downing Street on Sunday evening, where Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the Ukrainian leader alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. During the four-way summit, leaders addressed what Downing Street described as the "urgent need" to boost manufacturing of defensive weaponry and deep strike capabilities. The talks took place against a backdrop of intensified Russian missile attacks on Ukraine, with Moscow recently deploying another of its hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missiles. The four leaders demanded that Vladimir Putin accept an immediate and total ceasefire, proposing the existing front lines as a foundation for future negotiations. A joint statement released after Sunday's meeting praised Mr Zelensky's diplomatic approach to ending the conflict, as outlined in his recent open letter to the Russian president. However, Mr Putin dismissed the Ukrainian leader's proposal for direct talks, claiming it lacked sincerity and that he saw no purpose in such a meeting. The war, now entering its fifth year, would require specific conditions for a lasting resolution, the four leaders agreed. Their framework demands legally binding security guarantees for Ukraine, including the stationing of a multinational force on Ukrainian territory. Russian state assets would remain frozen until Moscow provides full compensation for wartime destruction, the statement outlined. The leaders also insisted that any peace settlement must protect broader European security interests. Mr Zelensky emphasised Ukraine's pressing requirement for additional air-defence missiles during his conversation with the Prime Minister, posting about the discussion on X. "Russia is not winning on the battlefield, and our mid-range strikes and deep strikes are significantly limiting its ability to expand its aggression," the Ukrainian President stated. He stressed that shielding Ukrainian civilians from ballistic weapons remained critical. "But it is also extremely important to have protection against ballistic threats, with which the Russians are terrorising our cities and communities," Mr Zelensky added. The summit at Number 10 occurred amid some of the heaviest Russian aerial bombardments since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, with the capital Kyiv among the targets struck in recent days. Russian forces killed five people and wounded 14 others in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region on Monday, according to regional governor Ivan Fedorov, who reported the details on Telegram. The assault combined air strikes, drone attacks and artillery bombardment, causing damage to infrastructure, homes and vehicles across the area. On the same day as the Downing Street summit, a Russian drone struck a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel located nine miles from the Chernobyl nuclear plant. The resulting blaze was brought under control within an hour, with officials confirming radiation levels remained safe. Sir Keir Starmer reaffirmed Britain's commitment to Kyiv following the talks, writing on X: "Our support for Ukraine is ironclad. Ukraine's security is Europe's security." Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
Go to News Site
The Independent 
The Mirror 
Ruptly 
BuzzFeed News 
