Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy landed in the United Kingdom on Monday for talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The trip came as part of a three-day-long diplomatic tour of European countries, where the Ukrainian leader discussed further aid to his country and military ahead of the long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive. Zelenskyy announced the surprise trip in a statement and a post to Twitter, promising to expand Ukraine’s capabilities “on the ground and in the air.”
“This cooperation will continue today. I will meet my friend Rishi. We will conduct substantive negotiations face-to-face and in delegations,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy met Sunak at his Chequers residence in Aylesbury, England, where they discussed plans for the United Kingdom to send new weapons and provide further training to Ukrainian soldiers.
Zelenskyy left the meeting with a commitment from the British prime minister to send new long-range drones to Ukraine.
In a statement, 10 Downing Street also confirmed that the UK will send air defense missiles and also provide training for Ukrainian pilots.
Prime Minister Sunak said that now is a “crucial moment” for Ukraine’s resistance to Russian forces – perhaps a nod to the planned Ukrainian counteroffensive that Zelenskyy recently said would be delayed.
“It is in all our interest to ensure Ukraine succeeds and Putin’s barbarism is not rewarded. That is why the UK is sustaining our support to Ukraine, from tanks to training, ammunition to armored vehicles. And this message of solidarity will ring loud in all my meetings with fellow world leaders in the days ahead,” Sunak also said.
Zelenskyy Still Wants Fighter Jets
The Ukrainian president said that he discussed the matter of obtaining western fighter jets with the British prime minister, and confirmed that “very important decisions” would be made about them soon.
The British government did not confirm any plans to send fighter jets to Ukraine, instead opting to help with training and provide valuable weapons and ammunition. Britain will work with Ukraine on plans for a “coalition of jets,” however, which could see western countries coming together to provide F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv.
“I see that in the closest time, you will hear some, I think, very important decisions but we have to work a little bit more on it,” Zelenskyy said about the plans.
Downing Street said that Ukrainian pilots will be trained using NATO-standard aircraft as part of an “elementary flying phase” that is expected to begin in the UK this summer.
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Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
