(MENAFN) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared Friday that the UK and allied nations must escalate efforts to bolster Ukraine's long-range missile arsenal, positioning Britain as Kyiv's "closest supporter and ally."

During opening remarks at Downing Street alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Starmer acknowledged significant progress achieved this week in supporting Ukraine, while emphasizing additional measures remain necessary for long-range strike capabilities.

"Volodymyr, it's really good to be able to welcome you here in Downing Street again for a really important meeting between the two of us, bilaterally, but also for the coalition of the willing," he stated.

"Through seeing his majesty, through our meeting and through the coalition of the willing, we reaffirm again our support for you and Ukraine and our absolute commitment to meeting the challenge of Russian aggression," he added.

"And whilst you have signaled the path for a way forward and shown that willingness of courage and determination, what we see from (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is an absolute unwillingness to engage, in fact, the opposite, which is the continued attacks increasingly on civilians and on children and sadly, I have to offer you my condolences again, as I did the last time we met and the time before, for those terrible losses."

"I do think that this week we can really bear down on Russian oil and gas. Huge steps forward this week already. I think there's further we can do on capability, particularly … long-range capability, and of course, the vital work for coalition of the willing when it comes to the security guarantees that are necessary."

"So, we've got really important business to go through with the coalition of the willing today, but it's very good to be able to welcome you back."

Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for Britain's unwavering backing and cautioned that Putin is driving Ukraine toward a "humanitarian disaster."

"Yes, I agree with you and know that Putin doesn't show that he wants to stop the war," he said.

He noted that Russian aggression was "pushing us with such a humanitarian disaster" through systematic assaults on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, particularly the energy sector.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte attended the high-level talks in person, with approximately 20 additional world leaders participating remotely via video conference.

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