Zelensky in London Presses for Long‑Range Weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flew to London to meet more than 20 European leaders at Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s “Coalition of the Willing” to press for long‑range missiles, stronger air defences, protection for Ukraine’s power grid ahead of winter and sustained funding. The trip coincided with faltering EU talks over using frozen Russian central‑bank assets to fund Kyiv — a plan blocked by Belgium’s prime minister — and with the United States hesitating to supply Tomahawk cruise missiles despite President Donald Trump imposing sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil and signalling support for a ceasefire along current lines. Russia has stepped up drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilians, cutting power and water in Kyiv and Chernihiv, hitting a Kharkiv nursery that killed seven people including two children, and striking Kherson, where overnight attacks killed two and injured at least 17. Ukraine has also struck into Russia, including a drone hit on a Moscow‑region apartment block that injured at least five, underscoring Kyiv’s push for deeper‑strike capability if allies permit. On Oct. 23 the EU adopted a 19th sanctions package targeting Russian energy revenues and evasion networks, but leaders say major questions remain about long‑term funding, postwar security guarantees and how far the West will back Kyiv as the war nears its fourth anniversary.