Russian drone downed near Kyiv Palace amid PM’s visit

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KYIV, Jan 16 (Reuters) – During his first visit to Kyiv since his election victory last July, Prime Minister Sir Keir met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss Ukraine’s future steps.

As air sirens blared, the sound of anti-aircraft gunfire echoed in the palace courtyard, signaling the daily threat of drone attacks in Ukraine. One drone was shot down, though eyewitnesses believe there were at least two drones, likely surveillance drones, as the downed one did not explode on impact.

President Zelenskyy dismissed the Russian threat, stating, “We will say hello to them too” upon detecting the drone. Sir Keir called the drone threat “a reminder of what Ukraine faces every day” and attributed the war to “Russian aggression.” He reaffirmed his support for Ukraine’s NATO membership, referencing the NATO summit in Washington last year, which set Ukraine on an “irreversible path” to joining the alliance.

However, President Zelenskyy, mindful of the incoming Trump administration, was more direct about Western allies’ support for Ukraine’s NATO membership. He stated that the US, Slovakia, Germany, and Hungary “cannot see us in NATO.”

President Trump recently acknowledged Moscow’s opposition to Ukraine joining NATO, noting, “Russia has somebody right on their doorstep, and I can understand their feeling about that.” The news conference was symbolic, with Sir Keir pledging to support Ukraine for as long as necessary and to strengthen Kyiv’s position in negotiations with Russia.

He promised to work with Ukraine in the coming months to secure guarantees for the country in any ceasefire deal and opened the possibility of troop deployments for training or peacekeeping, stating, “nothing is off the table.”