An unexpected arrival. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid a surprise visit to kyiv on Saturday, agreeing to a one-on-one meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The opportunity for the British leader to announce the sending of additional military equipment to Ukraine, to deal with the Russian offensive launched on February 24.
“Today I met my friend President Zelensky in Kyiv to show our unwavering support for the Ukrainian people,” tweeted Boris Johnson after the game.
He pledged to supply Ukraine with armored vehicles and anti-ship missiles, paying tribute to the Ukrainian army for “the greatest feat of arms of the 21st century” which enabled the defeat of “the monstrous designs of Putin,” according to a statement from Downing Street.
“Other Western democratic states must follow the example of the United Kingdom”, reacted Volodymyr Zelensky. “It is time to impose a total embargo on Russian hydrocarbons, to increase arms deliveries to us,” he continued.
The two leaders walked together in kyiv, as shown in a video released by the president where the men, apparently without protective equipment, can be seen strolling in the district where the presidential administration is located.
They also went to Independence Square, called Maidan, which was the scene of massive pro-European demonstrations that began at the end of 2013 and culminated in February 2014 in the fall of a pro-Russian president, the source of the conflict. Russian-Ukrainian. Not far from there, they finally gathered in front of a memorial to the “Heavenly Centuria”, these demonstrators shot dead during an attempt by the authorities to suppress this uprising in blood.
British support “resolute, powerful and permanent”
Boris Johnson is the first G7 leader to visit the Ukrainian capital, which was threatened with an assault and bombarded just a week ago, and where Volodymyr Zelensky has taken refuge since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.
“This visit is a manifestation of Britain’s resolute, powerful and continued support for Ukraine,” the Ukrainian president said in a statement. “We appreciate it and we will always remember it.”
London, particularly virulent in its condemnations of the Kremlin’s policy, notably provided the Ukrainian army with precious anti-tank weapons from the start and did not hesitate to sanction the Russian oligarchs whose massive presence had given it the nickname of “Londongrad”.
Successive visits
President Zelensky had previously received Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in kyiv, whom he thanked for his visit to kyiv and Boutcha, a town near the Ukrainian capital which has become a symbol of the atrocities of the Russian invasion.
On Friday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited kyiv to show her support for Ukraine.
Accompanied by the head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell and Slovak Prime Minister Edouard Heger, Ursula von der Leyen went to Boutcha. They went together to see the mass graves dug to bury dozens of civilians found dead.