LONDON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a uncommon journey out of his nation Wednesday, bold to goto Britain in a quote for more sophisticated weapons as Kyiv braces for an anticipated Russian offending and hatches its own strategies to retake land held by Moscow’s forces.
Zelenskyy gothere on a Royal Air Force airplane at London Stansted airport north of the U.K. capital. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed him on the tarmac, tweeting a picture of him accepting the Ukrainian leader.
“The United Kingdom was one of the veryfirst to come to Ukraine’s help. And today I’m in London to personally thank the British individuals for their assistance,” Zelenskyy stated on Instagram.
A big convoy of cars left the airport and headed straight to Downing Street in main London. Both leaders presented briefly for pictures in front of the well-known black No. 10 door that leads into the U.K. prime minister’s home.
Zelenskyy and Sunak will hold talks priorto heading to Parliament, where the Ukrainian president will address legislators.
It’s his veryfirst journey to the U.K. consideringthat Russia’s intrusion started almost a year ago and just his 2nd verified journey exterior Ukraine throughout the war.
Zelenskyy will likewise satisfy with King Charles III and U.K. military chiefs throughout his goto.
The U.K. is one of the greatest military backers of Ukraine and hasactually sentout the nation more than 2 billion pounds ($2.5 billion) in weapons and devices.
The see comes as Sunak revealed that Britain will train Ukrainian pilots on “NATO-standard fighter jets.” Ukraine has prompted its allies to sendout jets, though the U.K. states it’s not useful to offer the Ukrainian military with British warplanes.
More than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have likewise been trained at bases in the U.K., some on the Challenger 2 tanks that Britain is sendingout.
“I am happy that today we will broaden that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, makingsure Ukraine has a military able to protect its interests well into the future,” Sunak stated. “It likewise highlights our dedication to not simply supply military devices for the brief term, however a long-lasting promise to