UK PM Sunak pays visit to Ukraine, meets Zelenskyy
Newslooks- KYIV, Ukraine (AP)
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak paid an unannounced visit Saturday to Ukraine‘s snow-blanketed war-time capital for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who described the two countries as “the strongest of allies.”
Zelenskyy posted a video of the meeting in Kyiv and said “we discussed the most important issues both for our countries and for global security.”
“Together we are stronger and we will achieve the desired results,” he said on Telegram. His post gave no other details.
The video Zelenskyy posted showed him greeting Sunak at a presidential palace as snowflakes fell and the two men holding talks.
Sunak tweeted: “Britain knows what it means to fight for freedom. We are with you all the way @ZelenskyyUa.”
The U.K. has been one of the staunchest Western supporters of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s invasion, giving Kyiv 2.3 billion pounds ($2.7 billion) in military aid.
Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who stepped down in July amid a welter of ethics scandals, won wide praise in Ukraine for his backing.
Sunak is keen to reassure Ukraine’s leaders that there will be no change of stance under his leadership, though when he was U.K. Treasury chief under Johnson he was considered resistant to demands for higher defense spending.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed the UK will bolster Ukraine’s air defences during his first visit to the country.
The PM has been meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the latest developments on the war.
According to a statement, Mr Sunak said it was “deeply humbling” to be in the Ukrainian capital and pledged that the UK will continue to stand by the country.
The major £50 million package of air defence will aim to “protect Ukrainian civilians and critical national infrastructure from an intense barrage of Russian strikes”.
It is made up of 125 anti-aircraft guns and technology to counter deadly Iranian-supplied drones, including dozens of radars and anti-drone electronic warfare capability.
The UK is also bolstering our training offer to Ukrainian’s armed forces, sending expert army medics and engineers to the region to offer specialised support, the statement continued.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “I am proud of how the UK stood with Ukraine from the very beginning and I am here today to say the UK and our allies will continue to stand with Ukraine, as it fights to end this barbarous war and deliver a just peace.
“While Ukraine’s armed forces succeed in pushing back Russian forces on the ground, civilians are being brutally bombarded from the air.
“It is deeply humbling to be in Kyiv today and to have the opportunity to meet those who are doing so much, and paying so high a price, to defend the principles of sovereignty and democracy.”
The new package follows more than 1,000 new anti-air missiles announced by the defence secretary earlier this month.
In the last week, Ukrainian forces say Russia has rained down more than 148 missile strikes on critical infrastructure, leaving around 10 million people without power.
