It is only the second time he has left Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion nearly a year ago. Volodymyr Zelensky is expected in the UK this Wednesday, Downing Street announced.
During this visit, the Ukrainian president is due to meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He is also expected to address parliament and visit Ukrainian troops, Downing Street said in a statement.
This is the first time that Volodymyr Zelensky has left Ukrainian territory since his visit to Washington on December 21 for a few hours. He was then received at the White House by President Joe Biden and spoke before the US Congress, whose elected officials from both chambers gave him a standing ovation.
His visit to the United Kingdom comes as the Ukrainian president, expected according to European sources on Thursday in Brussels, is asking for a reinforcement and an acceleration of Western military aid.
Fighter pilots trained to NATO standards
This visit will therefore be an opportunity for London to announce the reinforcement of its support for Ukraine, as well as the training of fighter pilots, underlines the press release. This training should allow Ukrainian pilots to be operational on fighter planes that meet NATO standards, the models most likely to be provided to Ukraine in the event of international aid. This had been one of kyiv’s recurring requests for several weeks.
According to Downing Street, the training program already underway in the UK has brought 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers to combat readiness in the past six months, and which is expected to upgrade another 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers this year , says The Guardian.
The UK is one of kyiv’s staunchest backers, providing 2.3 billion pounds (2.5 billion euros) in military aid last year. The government is committed to maintaining this level of aid in 2023, the second in the world after the United States.