Russia and Iran 'brothers in hatred' - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells UK Parliament

Russia and Iran 'brothers in hatred' - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells UK Parliament
Lindsay Hoyle, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Committee Room 14 at the House of Commons, in London, Britain, March 17, 2026.
Reuters

Russia and Iran are “brothers in hatred” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the UK Parliament following a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday (17 March). 

Speaking in London, Zelenskyy described how Tehran’s government was selling Shahed drones to Moscow, which have been used in Ukraine.

Starmer and Zelenskyy agreed a new defence partnership, aimed at manufacturing and supplying more drones while at the meeting in the UK capital.

The British government has also pledged £500,000 ($668,230) to fund an AI centre in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. 

Earlier, during a meeting with Zelenskyy at Downing Street, Starmer said the Iran conflict shouldn’t distract from Ukraine. 

“It's really important that we're clear and consistent that Putin can't be the one who benefits from the conflict in Iran, whether that's oil prices or the dropping of sanctions. 

“It is really important that we keep up our resolve in relation to supporting Ukraine and doing everything we can to weaken the hand of Putin,” he said. 

The U.S. has relaxed sanctions on Russian oil as it tries to deal with soaring prices, as a result of the Middle East conflict while European leaders, notably French President Emmanuel Macron, firmly ruled it out. 

Zelenskyy’s stop in London was part of a tour of European capitals he has undertaken to refocus attention on Ukraine, as eyeballs turn to the Middle East conflict. 

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