Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged on Thursday to work with Ukraine and allies to offer Kyiv robust security guarantees if a ceasefire is negotiated with Russia, offering more support to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy with a 100-year partnership deal.

While air raid sirens during visits by foreign leaders have sounded before, it is rare for air defenses to actually have to fight off attacking drones.

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to put Ukraine in the "strongest possible position" this year during his first trip to Kyiv as Prime Minister. The Labour leader’s visit to the presidential palace in the capital coincided with a drone attack by Vladimir Putin ’s forces on the city.