The United Kingdom is planning to reopen its embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, weeks after it shut down amid Russia’s invasion.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the announcement on Friday during a two-day visit to India. In the days leading up to Russia’s military operation at the end of February, the U.K. moved its embassy to Lviv, a city in the western part of the country that has largely been devoid of fighting.
“The extraordinary fortitude and success of President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people in resisting Russian forces, means we will shortly be re-opening our British Embassy in Kyiv,” U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement. “I want to pay tribute to the bravery and resilience of the embassy team and their work throughout this period.”
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More than 16 countries have announced plans to reopen their embassies in Kyiv, including France, Italy, Poland, and Spain, according to Politico.
Johnson is one of a handful of European leaders who have traveled to Ukraine since the invasion commenced. Others include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovenia. President Joe Biden has visited Poland and expressed an interest in going to Ukraine, but no such trip is scheduled.
Russia’s major objective with its invasion was to topple Kyiv, but this failed in part due to stronger-than-expected Ukrainian opposition and self-inflicted problems. The Russians ultimately got to the suburbs of the capital before retreating.
Ukrainian officials, as they inspected the towns that had been under Russian rule, found mass graves and civilians executed. There have been repeated accusations of war crimes, as well as investigations.
With their failure in Kyiv, Russia has turned its sights toward the Donbas and the south. The Donbas region is in the eastern part of Ukraine, and there is a significant pro-Russian separatist presence where fighting between the two sides has been going since 2014.
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Additionally, Russia is looking to capture the city of Mariupol, a strategically important port city on the coast of the Sea of Azov. If it can capture the city, which it’s already surrounded, it will have a land bridge connecting the Crimea Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, and the Donbas region.
Biden announced the eighth military aid package to Ukraine on Thursday. The $800 million includes weapons, such as the newly developed Phoenix Ghost Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems and howitzers, that will help Ukrainians in the Donbas region.
