British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made his first official trek to Kyiv as the head of government and was seen meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in a video posted Saturday.
With light snow dusting the capital, Sunak was seen shaking hands with Zelensky and greeting top officials in Ukraine. Following in the footsteps of one of his predecessors, Boris Johnson, Sunak hailed the Ukrainian fight for freedom amid the brutal invasion from neighboring Russia and pledged more aid.
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“Britain knows what it means to fight for freedom. We are with you all the way @ZelenskyyUa,” Sunak tweeted alongside a clip showcasing his feted visit.
“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,” Zelensky replied.
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 ???? https://t.co/9oFfswxp3K
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 19, 2022
The newly appointed prime minister described his visit as “deeply humbling” and vowed to stand by Ukraine in the fight against Russian invaders. He also committed to a new package of air support to bolster Kyiv’s defenses, per the BBC.
“We discussed the most important issues both for our countries and for global security,” Zelensky said on Telegram after the meeting. “We are stronger and we will achieve the desired results.”
Ukraine has been making the rounds with Western allies, pleading for more aid to combat Russia. Despite the Kremlin’s considerable military might, Ukraine has managed to score some victories on the battlefield since the invasion began in February. Recently, Russian forces pulled back from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson.
Sunak’s predecessor Johnson was a celebrated figure in Ukraine, with a town naming a street after him. Back in the United Kingdom, however, he was controversial and ultimately stepped down amid a series of scandals and a Tory Party revolt. He was succeeded by Liz Truss, who only stayed in office for a little over a month before resigning after a batch of economic reforms she proposed spooked markets.
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His visit to Ukraine comes on the heels of the G-20 leaders’ summit this week, which featured a notable cancellation of a planned meeting between him and Chinese President Xi Jinping that a spokesperson attributed to a scheduling issue.
