Yesterday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the UK, where he arrived, according to British TV channels, as part of his second foreign visit since the beginning of the Russian invasion of his country on February 24, 2022. Zelensky met with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace and also held talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a speech before the British Parliament. This is the first time Zelensky has left Ukrainian lands since his long-hour visit to the United States. United States on December 21, and on the same day, he met with US President Joe Biden at the White House and delivered a speech to Congress, where members of both houses gave him a standing ovation.
The visit will take place as Zelensky is expected to visit Brussels on Thursday to request an acceleration of Western military assistance to his country, according to European sources, and by strengthening it through long-term support.
The UK is considered one of Kyiv’s biggest supporters, and last year it gave him £2.3bn (€2.5bn) of military aid, while the Conservative government has pledged to maintain the same level of aid, which is the highest in the world. after the United States, lethal weapons for the Ukrainian army were provided by London, which even before the start of the Russian invasion was the first country to announce in January its intention to send heavy tanks.
The UK yesterday imposed a new package of sanctions on the Russian defense sector, in line with what the British government announced in connection with Zelensky’s visit, with Foreign Secretary James Cleverley confirming that the new sanctions on entities that the Russian military relies on will “accelerate the economic pressure on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and undermine his war machine to help Ukraine win.”
In addition, the defense ministers of Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark announced on Tuesday that they would transfer to Ukraine “at least 100 Leopard 1A5 tanks … in the coming months.” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has been in Kyiv since his appointment as follows: Russia has said its offensive is “successful” in eastern Ukraine.
It comes at a time when Moscow is confirming that its fighting in eastern Ukraine is progressing well, and Ukrainian authorities are expecting Russian forces to launch new attacks, especially as the first anniversary of the invasion in February approaches. 24.
During Zelensky’s recent visit to Washington, US President Joe Biden said his country would provide Ukraine with Patriot air defense systems.
