Volodymyr Zelenskyy to become first foreign leader to attend Cabinet since Bill Clinton in 1997

More recently the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, spoke on a virtual Cabinet call in July 2021, while Queen Elizabeth appeared in person in 2012.

Mr Zelenskyy will brief the new Labour frontbench on the situation on the frontline in Ukraine and the current Russian threat.

It comes after a call to action to disrupt the Kremlin’s “shadow fleet” was made at the European Political Community in Blenheim Palace.

This is comprised of around 600 illegitimate vessels that carry barrels of oil to fund the war effort, transport weaponry and also operate as spy listening stations.

These boats and submarines are old and unsafe, and frequently flout international maritime standards such as turning off location tracking systems.

The government said they pose serious maritime security and environmental risks.

The Prime Minister and Mr Zelenskyy are expected to agree a Defence Export Support Treaty, which will allow Ukraine to draw on £3.5 billion of finance to fund its armed forces.

Sir Keir Starmer said: “Ukraine is, and always will be, at the heart of this government’s agenda and so it is only fitting that President Zelenskyy will make a historic address to my Cabinet.

“Russia’s incremental gains on the battlefield are nothing compared with the collective international support for Ukraine, or the strength of ties between our people.

“And alongside our European partners, we have sent a clear message to those enabling Putin’s attempts to evade sanctions: we will not allow Russia’s shadow fleet, and the dirty money it generates, to flow freely through European waters and put our security at risk.”