UK PM Rishi Sunak makes surprise visit to Kyiv for first meeting with Ukraine's Zelenskyy

United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has arrived in Ukraine for his first meeting with the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday. According to a spokesperson for Number 10, Sunak travelled to Ukraine to assure Zelenskyy of “continued UK support” as the country continues to be on the receiving end of Russian hostilities and attacks.

Sharing a snippet of their meet-up on Twitter, Sunak wrote: Britain knows what it means to fight for freedom. We are with you all the way @ZelenskyyUa.”

The clip features the British premier stepping out of a white car as the Ukrainian leader walks towards the vehicle to greet him. The duo shake hands and engage in a brief talk before heading inside the building to meet top officials. The video concludes with the pair sitting across one another and conversating. 

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy described the meeting as a discussion of “the most important issues both for our countries and for global security.” On Twitter, he expressed gratitude to Sunak and wrote: “Thank you, @RishiSunak. With friends like you by our side, we are confident in our victory. Both of our nations know what it means to stand up for freedom.”

UK to provide £50m air defence package for Ukraine

The UK PM has announced that Britain will provide a £50m air defence package for Ukraine. The package will include anti-aircraft guns and technology to counter Iranian-supplied drones.

In a statement, Sunak said: "We are today providing new air defence, including anti-aircraft guns, radar and anti-drone equipment, and stepping up humanitarian support for the cold, hard winter ahead."

In the statement, Sunak further said: "I am proud of how the UK stood with Ukraine from the very beginning and I am here today to say the UK and our allies will continue to stand with Ukraine, as it fights to end this barbarous war and deliver a just peace. While Ukraine's armed forces succeed in pushing back Russian forces on the ground, civilians are being brutally bombarded from the air. "

"It is deeply humbling to be in Kyiv today and to have the opportunity to meet those who are doing so much, and paying so high a price, to defend the principles of sovereignty and democracy," he added.

Zelenskyy invited Sunak to visit the war-torn nation

Sunak’s surprise visit comes weeks after the Ukrainian President invited him following his ascension to the post of the UK’s prime minister. Earlier, Zelenskyy had revealed on his Twitter handle that he had held a telephone conversation with Sunak. 
"In an excellent conversation with @RishiSunak we agreed to write a new chapter in Ukraine-UK relations but the story is the same - full support in the face of Russian aggression. I appreciate PM’s first call to Ukraine. And always grateful for the support of the British people,” he wrote on October 26.

UK continues its support to Ukraine amidst the brutal war

This isn’t the first time that the UK has expressed support for Ukraine. Since the war began in February this year, Britain provided the war-hit country $2.7 billion in military assistance. Sunak’s predecessors Liz Truss and Boris Johnson have also met Zelenskyy in the past to convey support.

The meeting between the two leaders comes as the war between Russia and Ukraine rages on and potentially reaches an escalation, with Moscow’s latest attacks on critical Ukrainian energy facilities that has impacted a large chunk of Ukraine’s population. According to the Associated Press, 10 million people in Ukraine have been left without power due to Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grids.