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Ukraine's Zelenskiy Attends UK Cabinet, Renews Calls on Long-range Missiles

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (R) speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) during the Opening Plenary at the European Political Community (EPC) meeting at Blenheim Palace, in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, Britain, 18 July 2024. EPA/CHRIS RATCLIFFE / POOL
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (R) speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) during the Opening Plenary at the European Political Community (EPC) meeting at Blenheim Palace, in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, Britain, 18 July 2024. EPA/CHRIS RATCLIFFE / POOL
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Ukraine's Zelenskiy Attends UK Cabinet, Renews Calls on Long-range Missiles

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (R) speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) during the Opening Plenary at the European Political Community (EPC) meeting at Blenheim Palace, in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, Britain, 18 July 2024. EPA/CHRIS RATCLIFFE / POOL
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (R) speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) during the Opening Plenary at the European Political Community (EPC) meeting at Blenheim Palace, in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, Britain, 18 July 2024. EPA/CHRIS RATCLIFFE / POOL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed British government ministers on Friday, a rare appearance by a foreign leader at a cabinet meeting that new Prime Minister Keir Starmer hopes will underline London's support for Kyiv.
A day after hosting a forum of European leaders at Blenheim Palace, Starmer pressed on with his bid to raise Britain's role in international affairs by inviting Zelenskiy to address his cabinet of top ministers. The last foreign leader to do so was US President Bill Clinton in 1997, Starmer's office said.
Zelenskiy renewed his call for Western allies to allow long-range strikes on Russia, saying Britain should try to convince its partners, which have taken varying approaches to how Ukraine can use weapons they supply, to remove the limits on their use, Reuters said.
"Right now we are missing the main answer to this question and that is our long-range capability," Zelenskiy said at the beginning of the meeting in Downing Street. "Please convince the other partners to remove the limits."
Starmer told Zelenskiy Britain would speed up delivery of vital aid to Ukraine, after his defense minister said earlier this month that the deliveries promised by the former Conservative government would be delivered within 100 days.
"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 before the meeting.
Britain has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, and Starmer swiftly reaffirmed London's commitment to Kyiv after winning a landslide election earlier this month, telling Zelenskiy at NATO that while there was a change of government, there was "no change of approach".
He said on Thursday that Britain would pursue a new plan to try to disrupt Russia's attempts to evade shipping sanctions. On Thursday, Britain announced sanctions on 11 vessels used to transport Russian oil.
The new measures against Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" include plans to share data on the network of the often older tankers used in shipping Russian oil, so that individual vessels can be identified and action taken against them.
He also unveiled the Defence Export Support Treaty, to be signed by defense ministers, that will enable Ukraine to draw on 3.5 billion pounds ($4.5 billion) of export finance, to fire up both countries' defense industrial bases and boost production.
Starmer, at NATO last week, re-committed to a pledge by his predecessor, Conservative Rishi Sunak, to deliver 3 billion pounds a year of military support to Ukraine until 2030-31 and beyond if needed.

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New Orleans Attack Suspect Acted Alone, Supported ISIS, FBI Says

Louisiana National Guard stands guard at a gated off area of the French Quarter near the scene of the car ramming on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 02 January 2025. (EPA)
Louisiana National Guard stands guard at a gated off area of the French Quarter near the scene of the car ramming on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 02 January 2025. (EPA)
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New Orleans Attack Suspect Acted Alone, Supported ISIS, FBI Says

Louisiana National Guard stands guard at a gated off area of the French Quarter near the scene of the car ramming on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 02 January 2025. (EPA)
Louisiana National Guard stands guard at a gated off area of the French Quarter near the scene of the car ramming on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 02 January 2025. (EPA)

A US Army veteran who drove a truck into a crowd of New Year's Day revelers had pledged allegiance to ISIS, but acted alone in the attack that killed at least 14 people, the FBI said on Thursday.

The suspect, who was shot dead at the scene after firing at police, has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texan who once served in Afghanistan.

He drove from Houston to New Orleans on Dec. 31, and posted five videos on Facebook between 1.29 a.m. and 3.02 a.m. on the morning of the attack in which he said he supported ISIS, the extremist militant group with fighters in Iraq and Syria, the FBI said.

In the first video, Jabbar explains he had previously planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned that the media coverage would not focus on the "war between the believers and the disbelievers," FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia said at a press conference.

Jabbar also said in the videos that he had joined ISIS before last summer and provided his last will and testament, Raia said.

"This was an act of terrorism," Raia said. "It was premeditated and an evil act."

New Orleans officials said the Sugar Bowl college football game that had been scheduled for Wednesday in a New Year's Day tradition would take place on Thursday afternoon. The city will also host the National Football League's Super Bowl next month.

The FBI said there appeared to be no link between the attack in New Orleans and the episode in Las Vegas on the same day in which a Tesla Cybertruck packed with gasoline canisters and large firework mortars exploded in flames outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House on Jan. 20.

The injured victims in the New Orleans attack included two police officers wounded by gunfire from the suspect, taking place a mere three hours into the new year on Bourbon Street in the historic French Quarter. At least 15 people were killed, including the suspect, the FBI said.

Among the victims were the mother of a 4-year-old who had just moved into a new apartment after getting a promotion at work, a New York financial employee and accomplished student-athlete who was visiting home for the holidays, and an 18-year-old aspiring nurse from Mississippi.

Witnesses described a horrifying scene.

"There were people everywhere," Kimberly Strickland of Mobile, Alabama, said in an interview. "You just heard this squeal and the rev of the engine and this huge loud impact and then the people screaming and debris - just metal - the sound of crunching metal and bodies."

Meanwhile, authorities in other US cities said they had boosted security, including at Trump Tower and Times Square in New York City, adding that there were no immediate threats.

In Washington, police also said they had increased their presence as the capital prepares to host three major events this month: Congress' Jan. 6 certification of US President-elect Donald Trump's presidential election win, the Jan. 9 state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter, and Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration.

The FBI said an ISIS flag was found on the trailer hitch of the rented vehicle involved in the New Orleans attack.

US President Joe Biden condemned what he called a "despicable" act.

Public records showed Jabbar worked in real estate in Houston. In a promotional video posted four years ago, Jabbar described himself as born and raised in Beaumont, a city about 80 miles (130 km) east of Houston.

Jabbar was in the regular Army from March 2007 until January 2015 and then in the Army Reserve from January 2015 until July 2020, an Army spokesperson said. He deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010 and held the rank of staff sergeant at the end of service.