Britain announced an immediate surge of military deliveries to Ukraine to help it fend off an intensifying Russian offensive and pledged to train its pilots as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on a rare visit abroad.
London was Zelenskiy’s first stop on only his second trip abroad since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 after a visit to the United States in December.
He is due to travel to Brussels on Thursday where the European Union is holding a summit. Greeted by Sunak on the steps of Number 10 Downing Street to applause from onlookers inside and outside the British prime minister’s office, Zelenskiy thanked Britain for its support “from the first days of the full-scale invasion”. “Thank you so much, we are proud, really, and have very good relations with Rishi,” Zelenskiy said.
The meeting was short, with Sunak quickly arriving in parliament to attend to the weekly prime minister’s questions. Britain, which has been working with Ukrainian troops, said the extra training would ensure Ukrainian pilots were able to fly “sophisticated NATO-standard fighter jets in the future”, adding it was “part of long-term investment in their military”.
The wording seemed to suggest that Britain had not yet changed its mind on whether to immediately provide Kyiv with the fighter jets it has asked for — something the government has said is not the right approach for now. Sunak said the visit was a testament to Ukraine’s “courage, determination and fight and … to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries”.
“I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future.”
Zelenskiy will meet King Charles later on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said. Charles, who has visited several organizations that help Ukrainians in Britain, has called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “brutal aggression”.
Britain also set out further sanctions to target those who have helped Russian President Vladimir Putin, including manufacturers of military equipment and eight individuals who helped “maintain wealth and power amongst Kremlin elites”.
Hmmm