Starmer, Zelenskyy urge ‘focus’ on Ukraine as Iran war diverts attention

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London to sign a new defence pact as the unfolding US-Israeli war on Iran threatened to divert international attention away from Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.

Starmer welcomed Zelenskyy at his official Downing Street residence on Tuesday, reassuring the Ukrainian leader that “the focus must remain on Ukraine”, days after the US partially rolled back sanctions against Moscow to cool oil prices sent soaring by its attacks on Iran.

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The British Prime Minister’s office said NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte would also join the meeting to discuss peacemaking efforts in Ukraine, which have so far been led by the US, but have stalled as the war on Iran escalates, and “the need to maintain sanctions pressure on Russia”.

“There is obviously a conflict in Iran going on, in the Middle East, but we can’t lose focus on what’s going on in Ukraine and the need for our support there,” said Starmer, who was meeting Zelenskyy to sign a defence partnership aimed at boosting “global defensive capability against the proliferation of low-cost, high-tech military hardware”.

The deal would combine Ukraine’s “expertise” in building high-tech, battle-tested drone interceptors and the UK’s “industrial base to manufacture and supply drones and innovative capabilities”, said Starmer’s office.

Starmer said in a statement that “drones, electronic warfare and rapid battlefield innovation are now central to national and economic security, and that has only been further magnified by the conflict in the Middle East”.

“Our priorities are clear – more security and opportunities for Ukraine,” said Zelenskyy on X, as he arrived in London, before his trip to Spain on Wednesday.

Turkiye offers to host talks as US efforts stall

As Zelenskyy met Starmer, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke by phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, reiterating that Turkiye stands ready to host the next round of negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry said the discussion focused on risks posed by the prolonged war for regional countries and the international order, while also addressing issues related to energy security.

Fidan’s offer came as US-brokered talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine, which have so far yielded no significant progress on key issues, have lost momentum amid the Middle East conflict.

As well as diverting attention away from peace efforts, the war in Iran is draining stocks of US air defence missiles that are crucial for Kyiv to shoot down Russian missiles.

Ukraine is the “ultimate loser” from the war with Iran, Ed Arnold, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, told The Associated Press news agency.

Zelenskyy is hoping to leverage Ukraine’s expertise in drone interception to obtain the expensive defence systems it needs to defend itself against Russia’s ballistic missiles.

He said on Tuesday that more than 200 Ukrainian experts are currently in the Middle East to help countries down Iranian drones.

Ukraine claims it ‘wrecked’ Russia’s March offensive

Meanwhile, on the ground, counterattacks by Ukraine at eastern and southern points along the front line had wrecked Moscow’s plans for a March offensive, Zelenskyy claims on Monday evening.

His comments could not be independently verified, but the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said on Monday that Ukrainian counterattacks “are likely constraining” some Russian offensive operations.

A Russian attack damaged industrial, port and energy infrastructure facilities in Ukraine’s Odesa region on the Black Sea overnight. Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said fires were quickly put out and there were no casualties.

Ukraine’s air force said that Russia launched 178 long-range drones of various types across the country overnight, starting late Monday, with 154 of them either intercepted or jammed while 22 more struck their targets.

Sappers examine the site of a Russian missile strike which hit a post office storehouse in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on 17 March, 2026 [Kateryna Klochko/AP Photo]

In the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia, a Russian strike damaged a terminal of Ukraine’s biggest private delivery company, Nova Poshta, the company said on Telegram.

Eight people were wounded, according to Ivan Fedorov, the governor of the Zaporizhia region.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that its air defences intercepted and destroyed 206 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian regions, Ukraine’s annexed Crimean Peninsula and the Azov Sea.

A total of 40 intercepted drones were flying towards Moscow, the ministry said.

Asked about an increase in Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow over the past few days, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that authorities in Kyiv were “continuing absolutely futile resistance” against Russia’s invasion.