Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in London on Tuesday for talks with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at 10 Downing Street. The meeting focused on peacemaking efforts in Ukraine and maintaining sanctions pressure on Russia as European countries work to keep international attention on the conflict.

The discussions come amid controversy over the U.S. decision to temporarily waive some Russian oil sanctions to ease pressure on global supplies triggered by the Middle East war, which began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting February 28. Zelenskyy has criticized Washington's move, arguing it would provide Moscow with additional resources to continue attacks on Ukraine.

During the visit, the U.K. and Ukraine signed an agreement combining Ukraine's expertise with Britain's industrial base to manufacture and supply drones and innovative military capabilities. Britain is also funding an "AI Center of Excellence" in partnership with Ukraine's Ministry of Defense. British officials noted that Russia and Iran are collaborating on drone technology, and drone combat experts from both the U.K. and Ukraine have been deployed to the Middle East region.

The London meeting occurs as U.S.-brokered peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv have lost momentum due to the Middle East conflict. President Donald Trump has expressed intentions to secure a peace deal to end what he describes as Europe's biggest conflict since World War II, though negotiations have yielded no significant progress on key issues.

Military activities continued on both sides during the diplomatic meeting. Russia's Defense Ministry reported intercepting 206 Ukrainian drones overnight across Russian regions, including 40 heading toward Moscow. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 178 long-range drones across the country, with 154 intercepted or jammed and 22 striking targets. In Zaporizhzhia, a Russian strike damaged a postal facility, wounding eight people according to regional officials.