Zelenskyy visits U.K. for first time since Russia’s invasion, will meet with King Charles III
It’s Zelenskyy’s first trip to the U.K. since Russia’s invasion began nearly a year ago and only his second confirmed journey outside Ukraine during the war.
The U.K. is one of the biggest military backers of Ukraine and has sent the country more than 2 billion pounds ($2.5 billion) in weapons and equipment.
As Sunak said, Britain will train Ukrainian pilots on "NATO-standard fighter jets" during the tour. Although Ukraine has urged its allies to send jets, the U.K. says it’s not practical to take such action.
Zelenskyy delivered a remote address to the UK Parliament in March, two weeks after the invasion began. He echoed World War II leader Winston Churchill's famous "never surrender" speech, saying that Ukrainians "would fight till the end at sea, in the air. We will continue to fight for our territory at any cost."
After the meeting with U.K. PM Rishi Sunak, Zelensky addressed his speech to the UK parliament in Westminster Hall, a location that has been used to mark momentous moments in British history.
In the speech, he claimed his determination in fighting against, repeated multiple times in his speech the “evil”. He also showcased a jet helmet from one of the “most successful” Ukrainian pilots, on which the writing says, “We have freedom give us wings to protect it.” The Ukrainian leader says it will be "a truly special moment" when he meets King Charles later today. And he plans to tell him: "In Britain, the King is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today every air force pilot is a king." Zelenskyy says he is "proud" of his air force, but says they need planes to fight the war.
In the speech made by one of the members of the parliament, after Zelenskyy had spoken, he said, “This parliament and indeed the country stand with you, in solidarity, as you continue this noble fate.”
There is more to look out for in Zelenskyy’s visit, including how much help the U.K. would hand out and how much that’s going to change the circumstances of the war.
Sources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/zelenskyy-visit-uk-first-time-russias-invasion-rcna69649
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/08/zelensky-britain-uk-parliament-visit/
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/11935