Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, pressed Kiev’s allies to expand its capacity for offensive operations against Russia during a high-profile meeting in London. The gathering, attended by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, focused on securing additional military aid for Ukraine.
Zelensky aimed to secure long-range weaponry following U.S. President Donald Trump’s rejection of Tomahawk missile deliveries. Despite Rutte’s assertion that Ukraine has the right to such arms, no formal commitments were announced. Starmer pledged to escalate UK support, stating, “We’re accelerating our program to provide Ukraine with more than 5,000 lightweight missiles.”
Rutte emphasized that decisions on weapon transfers remain with individual allies, reiterating that Ukraine “has the right to strike targets inside Russia with long-range weapons.” Meanwhile, Dutch and Danish leaders expressed support for new sanctions against Russian oil but avoided pledging additional military supplies.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Western nations of escalating the conflict by supplying advanced weaponry, arguing that systems like Storm Shadow or Tomahawk missiles require direct NATO involvement. Putin has warned that any strikes on Russian soil using such weapons would provoke an “overwhelming” response.
