Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned Russia, Iran, and North Korea as a “coalition of murderers” during a visit to London on Monday, where he met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss defense cooperation and increased pressure on Moscow.
Zelenskyy’s visit came just hours after Russia launched a massive aerial assault on Kyiv, involving 352 drones—half of them Iranian-made Shahed drones—and North Korean ballistic missiles. The Ukrainian president described the attack as “a completely cynical strike” and confirmed that at least 10 people were killed, with five civilian apartment buildings severely damaged.
“Many drones and missiles were intercepted by our air defense forces—but not all,” Zelenskyy posted on social media. “Everyone in countries neighboring Russia, Iran, and North Korea should be thinking carefully about whether they could protect lives if this coalition of murderers persists and continues spreading their terror.”
Photos from the aftermath show rescue workers standing before the wreckage of a residential building in Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, where a section of a five-story apartment block collapsed. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported six deaths in the district, while emergency crews rescued 10 others—including a pregnant woman—from a nearby high-rise also damaged in the attack.
Zelenskyy, who has publicly supported recent U.S. missile strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, has accused Tehran of enabling Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year. Ukraine surrendered its nuclear arsenal in the 1990s in exchange for security assurances from the U.S., UK, and Russia—assurances that failed to prevent Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion.
Ukrainian officials said the purpose of Zelenskyy’s trip was to strategize with UK leaders on how to force Moscow to halt its aggression. The visit follows a difficult meeting in Washington earlier this year, during which President Donald Trump accused Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War Three,” and Vice President JD Vance criticised him for perceived ingratitude.
Monday’s discussions in London reportedly focused on new sanctions against Russia. Zelenskyy also addressed the Trump administration’s decision to halt U.S. weapons deliveries to Kyiv and its reluctance to impose penalties on Moscow.
“We will be negotiating new and powerful steps to increase pressure on Russia for this war and to put an end to the strikes,” Zelenskyy said.
In addition to meeting with Prime Minister Starmer, Zelenskyy visited Ukrainian troops undergoing military training in the UK and held a private audience with King Charles at Windsor Castle.
Zelenskyy is expected to attend the upcoming two-day NATO summit in The Hague, where he is scheduled to meet NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. It remains unclear whether he will meet face-to-face with President Trump, who is due to arrive Tuesday and is expected to call for increased defense spending from NATO member states.
Since Trump’s return to the White House in January, Russia has escalated its air campaign in Ukraine, rejecting Zelenskyy’s offer of a 30-day ceasefire and continuing to target civilian infrastructure. Monday’s attacks struck residential areas, hospitals, and sports facilities, with Shevchenkivskyi bearing the brunt of the destruction.
“I heard the whistle of a rocket and froze in terror,” said Oleksii Pozychaniuk, 29, a Kyiv resident whose building was next to one of those struck. “Windows blew out, glass was flying everywhere. We barely made it downstairs with my child. Everything here was on fire.”
