KYIV: British PM Rishi Sunak visited wartime Kyiv on Friday to sign a new security agreement and announce an increase in military funding for Ukraine to buy drones, including surveillance, long-range strike and sea drones.
Britain, one of Ukraine’s closest allies during the Russian invasion, will increase its support in the next financial year to 2.5 billion pounds ($3.19 billion), an increase of 200 million pounds on the previous two years, Sunak said.”Our opponents around the world believe that we have neither the patience nor resources for long wars. So waver now, and we embolden not just Putin, but his allies in North Korea, Iran and elsewhere,” Sunak told press conference.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the press conference he felt vital US assistance would materialise and that he felt more positive now than last month.
The two leaders signed what Zelenskiy described as an “unprecedented security agreement” – an arrangement the Ukrainian leader said would remain in place until Kyiv joined the NATO military alliance.
“This is not simply a declaration,” Zelenskiy wrote on X. His chief of staff said the agreement set out the support that London would continue to provide, including intelligence sharing, medical and military training, and defence industrial cooperation.
Ukrainian lawmakers posted video clips of Sunak addressing parliament and receiving a standing ovation. “We meet today at a difficult moment in the struggle for Ukraine’s freedom. And as always during conflict there will be difficult moments. But we must prepare for this to be a long war,” he told lawmakers.
“We will stand with Ukraine, in their darkest hours and in the better times to come,” he said.
Britain, one of Ukraine’s closest allies during the Russian invasion, will increase its support in the next financial year to 2.5 billion pounds ($3.19 billion), an increase of 200 million pounds on the previous two years, Sunak said.”Our opponents around the world believe that we have neither the patience nor resources for long wars. So waver now, and we embolden not just Putin, but his allies in North Korea, Iran and elsewhere,” Sunak told press conference.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the press conference he felt vital US assistance would materialise and that he felt more positive now than last month.
The two leaders signed what Zelenskiy described as an “unprecedented security agreement” – an arrangement the Ukrainian leader said would remain in place until Kyiv joined the NATO military alliance.
“This is not simply a declaration,” Zelenskiy wrote on X. His chief of staff said the agreement set out the support that London would continue to provide, including intelligence sharing, medical and military training, and defence industrial cooperation.
Ukrainian lawmakers posted video clips of Sunak addressing parliament and receiving a standing ovation. “We meet today at a difficult moment in the struggle for Ukraine’s freedom. And as always during conflict there will be difficult moments. But we must prepare for this to be a long war,” he told lawmakers.
“We will stand with Ukraine, in their darkest hours and in the better times to come,” he said.