UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made his second surprise visit to Ukraine where he offered troop-training missions and looked at tightening sanctions on Russia.
He tweeted a picture on Friday of himself and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the words: “Mr President, Volodymyr, It is good to be in Kyiv again.”
President Zelenskyy said they also talked about their weapon requirements. “I appreciate your understanding of our military requirements. That is very important. Particularly, we discussed the need to bolster the supplies of heavy weaponry,” President Zelenskyy said.
“The main thing today is to provide air defence for Ukraine as well. We started to move in this direction. Russian missiles remain a threat to our people, to the entire territory of Ukraine.”
The visit was also announced on Mr Zelenskyy’s Telegram account, which read: “Many days of this war have proved that Great Britain’s support for Ukraine is firm and resolute. Glad to see our country’s great friend Boris Johnson in Kyiv again.”
A video from the Ukrainian government showed Mr Zelenskyy warmly greeting the prime minister with a “hi, Boris” as he arrived at the presidential palace.
The UK leader told his Ukrainian counterpart that the UK is prepared to launch a major operation to train Ukrainian armed forces, Downing Street said.
He pledged that Britain could train up to 10,000 troops every 120 days, when the two men met during the unannounced visit.
Downing Street said international partners would be invited to host the programme, if the offer is accepted by Ukraine.
In a statement, Mr Johnson said: “My visit today, in the depths of this war, is to send a clear and simple message to the Ukrainian people: the UK is with you and we will be with you until you ultimately prevail.
“As Ukrainian soldiers fire UK missiles in defence of your nation’s sovereignty, they do so also in defence of the very freedoms we take for granted.
“That is why I have offered President Zelenskyy a major new military training programme that could change the equation of this war — harnessing that most powerful of forces, the Ukrainian determination to win.”
Downing Street said the UK-led programme would train and drill the Armed Forces of Ukraine using battle-proven British Army expertise, allowing them to accelerate their deployment, rebuild their forces, and scale-up their resistance as they continue to defend their nation’s sovereignty against Russian invaders.
The previous Operation Orbital saw the UK train more than 22,000 Ukrainian personnel from 2015 until the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The new programme would train forces outside of the country.
They also talked about further sanctions on Russia.
“We discussed in detail new ways to step up sanctions against Russia,” President Zelenskyy said. “We can make sanctions tangible, so that Russia really feels that its aggression, its terrorist actions against Ukraine and against global stability will lead to losses for Russia itself — the aggressor must pay the highest price for this aggression, for this war.”
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Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron visit Irpin, outside Kyiv, and survey damage following Russia's invasion. AP -
Ukrainian troops fire with a French self-propelled Caesar howitzer towards Russian positions at a front line in the eastern region of Donbas. AFP -
Workers pour molten steel into a mould at a foundry in Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia region, in an area under Russian military control. AP -
Russian soldiers guard an area next to a field of wheat in the Zaporizhzhia region. AP -
A US Marine Corps Harrier fighter jet is parked on board the assault ship USS Kearsarge, during the Baltops 22 exercise in the Baltic Sea. Reuters -
A man picks up debris after his house was destroyed by shelling in the city of Dobropillia, Donbas region. AFP -
Smoke rises after shelling in Ukraine's breakaway enclave of Donetsk. AFP -
A mascot is wrapped in the colours of the Ukrainian flag before the country's Uefa Nations League football match against the Republic of Ireland in Lodz, Poland. Reuters -
Russian soldiers walk near a monument at the entrance of Mariupol, which has been painted in the colours of the Russian flag. AFP -
French troops at an air base in Constanta, Romania. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit the base in a show of support for Nato and European allies following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. AP -
Svitlana Nazarenko, sister of Mykhailo Tereshchenko, is comforted by her son during her brother's funeral in Kyiv. The Ukrainian soldier was killed in the Donbas region. Getty -
Russian troops demine the bay and beach of Mariupol, Ukraine. AFP -
A Russian soldier inspects the Azovstal steel plant, in Mariupol, in territory which is under control of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. AP -
A house heavily damaged by Russian shelling is seen through a broken window, in the town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region. AP -
Maryna Golovnia sits in a van with her children as they leave their home in Bakhmut, amid fighting. Getty Images -
Ballet dancer Mykyta Sukhorukov rehearses before the evening Gala Concert of the Ukrainian National Ballet, in Kosice, Slovakia. Getty Images -
A Ukrainian soldier looks on from inside a tank at a position in the breakaway Donetsk enclave, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues. Reuters -
Boys play on top of a damaged Russian tank in Kyiv. EPA -
An Orthodox priest blesses Ukrainian soldiers during a service at a church in the Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. EPA -
A damaged Ukrainian navy ship, the 'Donbas', lies partially submerged near the pier in the port city of Mariupol. EPA -
Ukrainian soldiers load a projectile into a tank near the small city of Svitlodarsk, in the breakaway Ukrainian enclave of Donetsk. EPA -
Smoke rises after the Russian military struck a compound at the Azot Chemical Plant in Lysychansk, Ukraine. Reuters -
A Russian serviceman on patrol outside the Ukrainian town of Schastia. AFP -
Mourners gather during the funeral of Ukrainian serviceman Ruslan Skalskyi in Lviv. AFP -
Civilians are evacuated from Lysychansk, in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. AFP -
A man passes two destroyed military lorries in Lysychansk. AFP -
Ukrainian soldiers run for cover during clashes with Russian troops in Lysychansk. AFP -
An elderly woman reacts as Ukrainian soldiers lead her to safety during a battle with Russian troops in Lysychansk. AFP -
A wounded woman is assisted by Ukrainian soldiers in Lysychansk. AFP -
A house burns after being shelled in Lysychansk. AFP -
A Ukrainian serviceman speaks on a radio at a front line in the Donbas region. AFP -
A man walks next to a damaged building in Lysychansk. Reuters -
A man with children rides a bicycle along an empty street, as smoke rises after Russian shelling in Lysychansk. Reuters -
An unexploded shell is stuck in the ground in Lysychansk. euters -
An elderly woman, who was evacuated from the Lysychansk area, cries moments before travelling by train to western Ukraine from Pokrovsk railway station. AP
Earlier, Mr Johnson pulled out of speaking at a Yorkshire conference of northern Conservatives before a closely-contested by-election in the county.
Mr Johnson has been one of the strongest international supporters of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s invasion. Britain has given the country hundreds of millions of pounds in military and humanitarian aid.
Mr Zelenskyy has praised Mr Johnson for his support during the war with Russia, and spoke out after he survived a vote of no confidence from his own Conservative MPs earlier this month.
Mr Johnson's leadership has been under continued pressure in recent weeks after he received a police fine for breaching Covid-19 regulations in Downing Street. Most recently, his own ethics adviser resigned on Thursday after saying the prime minister had put him in an “odious position”.
He first visited Kyiv in April when he promised the West would continue to “ratchet up” sanctions on Moscow as he praised the courage of the Ukrainian resistance.
Yesterday, the leaders of the European Union's most powerful countries made a joint trip to Kyiv, their first since the war began.
They gave their backing to Ukraine's long-held desire to join the European Union after meeting, which was followed today by backing from the European Commission.
“Ukraine belongs to the European family,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, alongside France's Emmanuel Macron and Italy's Mario Draghi.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson's wife Carrie was seen at Royal Ascot in the UK.
