British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on April 9 pledged new military and economic aid to Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv, where he met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The package includes 120 armored vehicles, new anti-ship missile systems, and an additional $500 million (£385 million) in World Bank lending.
Johnson’s visit, which wasn’t announced in advance, was first made public on Twitter by the Embassy of Ukraine to the UK. The account published a photo of the two leaders sitting at a desk, with the word “Surprise.”
Johnson later wrote on Twitter that the meeting was a show of the UK’s “unwavering support for the people of Ukraine” in the country’s “struggle against Russia’s barbaric campaign.”
The new support package came a day after the UK pledged a £100 million ($130 million) defensive aid package, including over 800 more NLAW anti-tank missiles; additional Javelin anti-tank systems; additional loitering munitions; additional Starstreak air defence systems; and additional non-lethal aid including ballistic helmets, body armour, and night vision goggles.
It also followed an appeal from the Ukrainians to Western nations to send more arms as they prepare for the expected Russian offensive in the east of the country, after Moscow pulled back its forces from around Kyiv.
In a statement after his meeting with Zelenskyy, Johnson said Ukraine “has defied the odds and pushed back Russian forces from the gates of Kyiv, achieving the greatest feat of arms of the 21st century.”
“It is because of President Zelenskyy’s resolute leadership and the invincible heroism and courage of the Ukrainian people that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s monstrous aims are being thwarted,” he said.
Johnson said the UK stands “unwaveringly” with the Ukrainian people in the ongoing fight, adding, “we are in it for the long run.”
“We are stepping up our own military and economic support and convening a global alliance to bring this tragedy to an end, and ensure Ukraine survives and thrives as a free and sovereign nation,” he said.
Earlier, Zelenskyy called on the international community to hold to account Russian forces who carried out a missile strike on a crowded railway station, killing at least 52 people.
The station at Kramatorsk was packed with women and children trying to flee west before the Russian advance arrives when the missile hit on April 8.
“All world efforts will be directed to establish every minute of who did what, who gave what orders, where the missile came from, who transported it, who gave the command, and how this strike was agreed,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
The Kremlin has denied responsibility for the attack, but Western officials believe it was probably a Russian Tochka-U missile, which NATO refers to as an SS-21, which was fired indiscriminately toward the town center.
Johnson’s visit comes the day after European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen was in the Ukrainian capital, and visited the town of Bucha, where civilians were reportedly raped and killed by occupying Russian troops.
Last month, the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia visited Kyiv in a show of support for the Ukrainians.
