LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a meeting of his top ministers on Friday (July 19), a show of support for the Ukrainian leader who will welcome a new plan to try to disrupt Russia's attempts to evade shipping sanctions.

A day after hosting a forum of European leaders at Blenheim Palace, Starmer pressed on with his bid to raise UK's role in international affairs by inviting Zelenskiy to address his cabinet. The last foreign leader to do so was US President Bill Clinton in 1997, Starmer's office said.

Zelenskiy will also welcome the launch of a "call to action" against Russia's 600-strong 'shadow fleet' of oil tankers used to break sanctions, officials said.

Starmer is expected to tell the Ukrainian leader that Britain will do more in the coming months to dent Russia's "war machine", including agreeing a new defence export support treaty to help Kyiv draw on export finance.

"Ukraine is, and always will be, at the heart of this government's agenda and so it is only fitting that President Zelenskiy will make a historic address to my cabinet," Starmer said in a statement.

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