LONDON – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and made a fresh plea for fighter jets as he delivered a historic speech to the UK parliament in a rare trip outside his country.
Zelensky spoke before an audience of MPs, peers and journalists at Westminster Hall, the medieval center of the British Parliament, as Kyiv braces for an anticipated Russian invasion.
He has already held talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and will be granted a meeting with King Charles III. Prior to their meeting, Sunak announced that the UK would now train pilots on NATO-standard operations. fighter jets As well as the Marines. It comes in addition to an expansion of UK training Ukrainian recruits from 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers this year.
Addressing the assembled parliamentarians, Zelensky thanked Britain for “extending a helping hand” at a time when the world did not yet know how to respond to Russia’s invasion.
And he paid personal tribute to Johnson, who was prominent in the audience gathered to watch Zelensky speak. “Boris, you united others when it seemed absolutely impossible,” he said.
Before Sunak took office, Zelensky had forged a bond with Johnson, who as prime minister had been one of Ukraine’s most vocal supporters and even made a surprise visit to Kyiv after leaving office. Sunak has pledged to maintain UK support since taking office in October, although Johnson has urged the West to move to accept the fighter jets’ demands.
Calling for renewed Western air aid, Zelensky presented the Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, with the helmet of one of Ukraine’s most successful pilots, inscribed with a plea for modern fighter aircraft that read: Was: “We have freedom, give us wings.” To protect it.
And he described the prospect of an audience with the king as “a really special moment for me”: “The king is an Air Force pilot. And every Air Force pilot in Ukraine today is a king.
‘Unimaginable difficulties’
A handful of leaders have given such a speech at Westminster Hall over the past 30 years, including Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama and, more recently, King Charles III.
The Ukrainian president arrived at an airport north of London on a visit by a Royal Air Force plane to a closely guarded secret until early Wednesday morning.
Recalling his first visit to London in 2020 when he sat in British wartime leader Winston Churchill’s chair, Zelensky said: “I definitely felt something – but it is only now that I know what the feeling was It is a realization of how bravery gets you through the most unimaginable difficulties and ultimately rewards you with victory.”
It is Zelensky’s first visit to Britain since Russia’s invasion nearly a year ago and his second confirmed visit outside Ukraine during the war after visiting the United States.
Although Ukraine’s leader is also expected to visit Brussels later this week question mark about his visit after the plans were leaked on Monday.
In a sign of Westminster’s broad cross-party consensus on Ukraine, Labor leader Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that his opposition party “does not expect Ukraine to win, we believe in its victory.”
Sunak said he was “proud” to announce today’s expanded training program, and that it “underscores our commitment to providing military equipment not only for the short term, but for years to come, shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.” underlines our longstanding pledge to stand together.” for coming.”
Hopes are growing in Brussels that the Ukrainian leader may also make his first visit to EU institutions since the start of the war.
Leaders of the Group of 27 nations will gather for a summit in Brussels on Thursday, allowing Zelensky to meet all major leaders in one day.
The trip to London came as Russian forces blasted areas of eastern Ukraine with more artillery bombardments, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday, amid what Kyiv officials believe is a new offensive by the Kremlin’s forces ahead of the anniversary of the invasion. Part of the push.