Ukrainian President held talks with PM and King today in his first visit to the U.K. since the Russian invasion
The President of Ukraine – Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in London today, i.e., Wednesday, February 8, 2023, where he was welcomed by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (U.K.) – Rishi Sunak.
He received a red-carpet welcome before he headed to Downing Street with Sunak. He is also scheduled to meet the King of the U.K. – Charles III. He will also be meeting the Ukrainian troops who are getting trained in the U.K. for operating fighter jets and marines.
This is Zelenskyy’s second international visit outside Ukraine since the Russian invasion. He travelled to the United States (U.S.) in December 2022, where he received a standing ovation during his address at the Congress.
Welcoming Zelenskyy, Sunak tweeted,
Welcome to the UK, President @ZelenskyyUa.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) February 8, 2023
🇬🇧🇺🇦 #SlavaUkraini pic.twitter.com/rMoBTC3ken
Zelenskyy also addressed the U.K. Parliament and expressed gratitude to British Parliamentarians for supporting Ukraine.
Speaking on the occasion, Zelenskyy said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for your bravery. Thank you very much. From all of us.”
He further said, “London has stood with Kyiv since day one. Since the first seconds and minutes of the full-scale war. Great Britain, you extended your helping hand when the world had not yet come to understand how to react.”
He added: “We know Russia will lose. We know victory will change the world, and this will be a change the world needed. The United Kingdom is marching with us towards the most important victory of our lifetime. The victory over the very idea of war,” added Zelenskyy
Besides, the U.K. has also announced a fresh round of sanctions targeting Russia. The latest sanctions target IT companies, as well as manufacturers of military equipment such as drones and helicopter parts. The U.K. has also announced to train Ukrainian pilots to fly North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)-standard fighter jets in the future.
The U.K. will also be providing Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. The Challenger 2 tank is a third-generation British main battle tank (MBT) in service with the armies of the U.K. and Oman. It was designed and built by the British company Vickers Defence Systems, since renamed BAE Systems Land & Armaments. Sunak would also be providing Ukraine with longer range capabilities to disrupt Russia’s ability to target Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure. British training would be scaled up this year, with a further 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers set to be trained.
The U.K. has so far spent £ 2.3 billion on military assistance to Ukraine, making the country the second biggest donor after the U.S. The Government has said it plans to match this spending again this year.
