Ukraine-Russia war latest: Leaders to ramp up hypersonic missile defences after Zelensky’s No 10 visit

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky invited former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to Kyiv last month in a bid to encourage Russian president Vladimir Putin to sit down for direct talks to end the war, according to a report.

Four people with knowledge of the matter told the Financial Times that Zelensky asked the Russian businessman, also a former governor, to relay that he was ready to meet for what would have been the first bilateral talks since the invasion.

The sources said Ukraine wanted to show its seriousness in intent to settle the four-year conflict.

Leaders of Ukraine, the UK, France and Germany discussed “the urgent need to scale up the production of interceptors and co-develop anti-ballistic missile and deep strike capabilities” after Russia fired Oreshnik weapons at Ukraine, Downing Street said.

Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelensky shook hands and briefly posed for photographs outside No 10 this evening.

Mr Zelensky left just over half an hour after Macron and Merz.

Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz have left Downing Street after a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The four leaders shook hands warmly and posed for a group picture outside No 10.

The leaders smiled to reporters in Downing Street before the French president and German chancellor headed to their cars.

On his way to his car, Mr Macron greeted reporters in French saying “hello gentlemen and ladies”.

The Prime Minister and the Ukrainian leader then re-entered No 10.

Russian forces deliberately struck a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel near Ukraine’s Chornobyl power plant, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday, in an “extremely vile” attack that did not lead to a spike in radiation.

The strike significantly damaged a fuel-reception building metres away from where “large amounts of nuclear material” are stored, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which said it had been briefed by Ukraine.

Kyiv’s state atomic agency Energoatom said no spent fuel had been stored in the building at the time of the attack. A resulting fire was extinguished, and no injuries were reported.

Russia has not publicly commented on the alleged strike on the facility, which is located around 15 km from the decommissioned Chornobyl plant, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster.

“An extremely critical infrastructure facility – and an extremely vile Russian strike,” Zelensky wrote on X, adding Russia had used a Shahed attack drone.

“As of now, there are no readings exceeding normal background radiation levels. But there is certainly an increase in Russia’s brazenness, which long ago went off the charts.”

Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived at Downing Street for talks with Keir Starmer, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Zelensky said earlier today the focus of the summit would be greater cooperation for the security of “all of Europe” in air defence, and the prospects for diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia.

“Europe must be part of the negotiations and must be strong. A meeting with His Majesty King Charles III is also scheduled for tomorrow,” he said.

Zelensky said last week he was preparing meetings with key European partners to discuss “air defense for Ukraine, sanctions against Russia for the war, our joint weapons production with partners, political coordination, and real support for Ukrainians who are going through this full-scale war”.

The Ukrainian president has urged the importance of air defences for Ukraine and wider Europe in recent weeks.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz has also arrived at No10 for the E3 summit with Ukraine.

French president Emmanuel Macron has just entered Downing Street, greeted at the door by Sir Keir Starmer.