Britain pledges £17m to repair Russian-struck Chernobyl as Le Pen vows to cut Ukraine funding within six months
Irish Guards outside Downing Street, as Andy Burnham pledged to speed up missile delivery to Ukraine.
Andy Burnham hosted Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street and pledged £17 million to repair Chernobyl's protective shelter, damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid fears of crumbling Western support for Ukraine. Chancellor John Healey declared Britain's commitment to Ukraine "unshakeable" while Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband vowed to stand with Kyiv "until they prevail". The pledge comes as French presidential frontrunner Marine Le Pen announced she would halt all financial aid to Ukraine within six months of taking office, and AfD leader Alice Weidel called the war "already lost".
Le Pen, leading polls ahead of France's April 2027 vote, said France is "on the verge of defaulting" and other EU states in better financial shape should fill the gap.
Zelensky replied that Le Pen 'is not deeply familiar with some details', arguing France benefits directly from battlefield upgrades Ukraine made to the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defence system.
AfD's Alice Weidel told The Economist that continuing to fund Ukraine is "wrong", that "Ukraine cannot win against Russia", and echoed Kremlin talking points on NATO enlargement.
