London: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London to discuss increasing defense cooperation and sanctions against Russia, just hours before the Coalition of the Willing meeting. Zelenskyy presented the Ukrainian-made interceptor drone OCTOPUS, which the United Kingdom will produce for testing in Ukraine under a new agreement that includes the first production batch.

According to Anadolu Agency, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the people of the United Kingdom for their support in Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression. He emphasized the importance of tightening sanctions to push Russia toward real negotiations and acknowledged the significance of recent sanctions packages introduced by Kyiv's partners.

The discussions between the two leaders also included coordinating positions ahead of the Coalition of the Willing meeting. The focus was on security guarantees for Ukraine, strengthening air defense, long-range capabilities, and energy resilience. Earlier, Zelenskyy met with King Charles III, thanking him for his support of the Ukrainian people and his public messages advocating for peace in Ukraine.