UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a planned meeting soon with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the head of the British government, dialogue with the Ukrainian leader is crucial in the context of supporting Ukraine amid ongoing international challenges.
This is reported by Kyiv24
International Cooperation and Support for Ukraine
Starmer emphasized the importance of maintaining constant contact with leaders from the Gulf countries, Europe, and other regions. In particular, on March 16, he held a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss the current geopolitical situation. The politician stressed that events in the Middle East should not become advantageous for the Russian Federation.
“I will soon meet with President Zelensky because it is vital that we continue to focus on supporting Ukraine. We cannot allow the war in the Gulf to turn into an unexpected benefit for Putin.”
Sanctions and Energy Crisis Amid War
Last week, Volodymyr Zelensky met with French President Emmanuel Macron. During a joint press conference, the Ukrainian leader highlighted that lifting US sanctions on Russian oil, which is already on tankers at sea, could bring Russia about 10 billion dollars in profit.
On March 12, the administration of US President Donald Trump issued a new license that temporarily allows foreign countries to purchase Russian petroleum products that had already been loaded onto vessels before that date. The license is valid until April 11 and only covers crude oil and petroleum products that are “stuck” at sea.
At the same time, since February 28, the US and Israel have been conducting airstrikes on Iranian targets, prompting retaliatory attacks from Tehran on Israel and US military facilities in the Gulf. The armed conflict in this region has led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz—a strategic route through which about 20% of the world’s oil is transported.