“Ukrainian President Visits Britain to Secure Additional Arms Support”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise visit to Britain to secure additional arms support.

According to the Associated Press and others on the 15th (local time), President Zelensky arrived in England this morning and met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Checkers, the Prime Minister’s provincial residence. The meeting between the two leaders is the first in three months since President Zelensky visited London last February.

In line with the meeting, the British Prime Minister’s Office announced that it would provide Ukraine with an unmanned aerial system, including hundreds of air defense missiles and hundreds of long-range attack drones with a range of more than 200 kilometers. The UK announced last week that it was giving Ukraine long-range cruise missiles called “Storm Shadow”. This is the first aid among Western countries.

President Zelensky is on a tour of Europe ahead of the air raids. Over the weekend, he visited Germany, Italy and France, urging additional military and financial aid. President Zelensky tweeted: “London today. The UK is leading the way in expanding our capabilities on the ground and in the air. Cooperation continues today,” he said. He then added that he would “have substantive negotiations”, referring to Prime Minister Sunak as ‘my friend Rishi’.

“This is a decisive moment for Ukraine’s resistance in this terrible war,” Sunak said in a statement. “They need the continued help of the international community.” Britain’s military aid to Ukraine amounted to £2.3 billion last year, and it promised a similar amount this year. It is second only to the United States.

President Zelensky said of Britain’s additional support: “British leadership, courage and strength inspire us all. (War) is an important security issue not only for Ukraine, but for Europe as a whole.”