Prime minister Boris Johnson has promised that the UK will provide Ukraine with 120 armoured vehicles and anti-ship missiles to support its armed forces in the war against Russia.
The missile supplies include 800 anti-tank missiles as well as Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles.
The total economic support that the UK has provided Ukraine has seen total loan guarantees exceed £770 million, with a further £100 million of weapons support also announced last week.
Johnson’s latest pledge came after a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv during the weekend. According to Downing Street, the prime minister’s unannounced mission to the Ukrainian capital came as a “show of solidarity” with the Ukrainian people.
A spokesperson for Number 10 said: “The prime minister has travelled to Ukraine to meet President Zelensky in person, in a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.”
It only became apparent that Johnson had travelled after the Ukrainian Embassy in London uploaded a photograph to Twitter showing the PM and Zelensky together. The visit sees the Conservative leader become the first member of a G7 country to travel to Kyiv for talks during the war.
Senior Ukrainian officials have since praised the UK for the level of support it has provided since Russia mounted its invasion.
Meanwhile, Johnson has hailed the “resolute leadership” of his Ukrainian counterpart and praised the “invincible heroism and courage of the Ukrainian people”.
He said following his meeting with Zelensky: “Ukraine has defied the odds and pushed back Russian forces from the gates of Kyiv. I made clear today that the United Kingdom stands unwaveringly with them in this ongoing fight, and we are in it for the long run.
“We are stepping up our own military and economic support and convening a global alliance to bring this tragedy to an end, and ensure Ukraine survives and thrives as a free and sovereign nation.”
Speaking during a video address alongside the Ukrainian president, Johnson also said: “Over the last few hours I've been able to see quite a lot of your beautiful country [Ukraine] and it's an amazing country. I've also seen the tragic effects of the war, an inexcusable war, an absolutely inexcusable and unnecessary war.”
The PM stressed that the West would continue to pile pressure on Russia through further packages of economic sanctions, with Zelensky adding that it was time to “impose a complete embargo on Russian energy resources.”
Zelensky has also called on the international community to hold Russian armed forces to account, after a missile attack was carried out on Kramatorsk station which saw women and children killed. Moscow has denied that it is responsible for the strike.
Ukraine is preparing for Russia to launch an offensive in the Donbass region in the east after the Kremlin withdrew its forces from Kyiv and the north.
Image taken from Wikimedia Commons
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