LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to Ukraine to have talks in Kyiv with the country’s president, Vlodomyr Zelenskyy, Downing Street said Saturday.
The Ukrainian embassy in London tweeted a picture of the two leaders meeting face to face Saturday in Kyiv, the BBC reported.
The tweet was captioned, “surprise.”
The two leaders met to discuss the UK’s “long-term support to Ukraine,” including a new package of financial and military aid, the prime minister’s office said. The visit comes a day after Johnson pledged another $130 million in high-grade military equipment to Ukraine, The Associated Press reported. Johnson said Britain wanted to help Ukraine defend itself from continuing Russian assaults.
A spokesperson for Johnson said that, “The prime minister has traveled to Ukraine to meet President Zelenskyy in person, in a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.”
“They will discuss the UK’s long-term support to Ukraine and the PM will set out a new package of financial and military aid.”
The deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andrij Sybiha, confirmed that the two leaders were meeting in Kyiv, according to the AP.
Johnson is the latest leader to visit Ukraine
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, both visited on Friday, the BBC reported. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer also visited the country earlier Saturday, according to the network.
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