Diplomatic Efforts and Defense Support: The President Held a Meeting with the UK Secretary of State for Defense

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Defense, John Healey.

"Very pleased to welcome you to Kyiv. Thank you, your team, and your Government for the great support throughout all these years of the full-scale invasion," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

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The Head of State highlighted the importance of the Paris Declaration and the Declaration of Intent between the United Kingdom, France, and Ukraine relating to the deployment of multinational forces in support of the defense, reconstruction, and strategic sustainability of Ukraine, which were approved and signed this week in Paris.

"I believe the Paris Declaration is the first good step forward - a real document to ensure security guarantees from Europe, from all of Europe. This is extremely important: once this war ends, we must have security guarantees. It was a very positive signal for our people," the President emphasized.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and John Healey discussed options for how a British contingent could be deployed to operate together with French forces if diplomacy succeeds in bringing the war to an end.

Separately, the Head of State underscored that strengthening the protection of Ukraine's skies is critically important amid Russia's intensified air terror. The President briefed the Secretary of State on the consequences of Russia's overnight attack on critical infrastructure facilities in Kyiv and the Lviv region, including the use of a medium-range ballistic missile.

John Healey expressed condolences to all Ukrainians affected by Russian strikes and reaffirmed the United Kingdom's readiness to help with securing air-defense missiles.

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"Putin continues to escalate, he continues to attack your cities and your citizens, and this only makes our resolve and our determination to stand with you stronger," the UK Secretary of State for Defense stressed.

The sides also discussed further strengthening sanctions against Russia to force it to end this war.

The meeting also addressed the implementation of agreements on joint defense production, including Octopus interceptor drones. Ukraine has already provided the necessary data and is awaiting the delivery of the first batch of drones for testing.

"As early as this month, we will begin producing new, improved drones and interceptors, and next month we will start supplying them to Ukraine. After that, we aim to ensure that more than 1,000 such systems reach your defenders every month," John Healey noted.

The Secretary of State also briefed the President on preparations for the February meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group aimed at strengthening the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.