British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to the capital, Kiev, to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Johnson announced a military training program for Ukrainian forces, which he said could “change the equation” of the war.
The British-led program will have the potential to train 10,000 soldiers every 120 days, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
Welcoming Johnson in Kiev, Zelenskiy described him as his country’s “great friend”.
This is Prime Minister Johnson’s second visit to Ukraine since the Russian invasion that began in February.
At the joint press conference held after the surprise visit, Johnson said his visit was aimed at giving a clear and clear message that Britain stands with the Ukrainian people.
“While Ukrainian soldiers fire British missiles to defend your country’s sovereignty, they also defend the freedoms we take for granted. That’s why I proposed to President Zelenskiy a major new military training program that could change the equation of this war.”
The program will train the Ukrainian military with British expertise, allowing them to “accelerate their deployment, rebuild their forces and increase their resistance,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
It was emphasized that the soldiers will learn “basic medical training, cybersecurity and tactics against explosives, as well as battle-winning skills on the front.”
The government added that international partners will also be invited to the programme.
It was stated that if the proposal is accepted by Zelenskiy, talks will be held about the size of the training operation expected to be carried out outside of Ukraine.
As part of the previous Operation Orbital, the UK trained more than 22,000 Ukrainian personnel from 2015 until the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
‘Grain blockade’ was also discussed
The prime minister’s statement said the two leaders also discussed how Britain “could play an important role in ending the grain blockade”.
Johnson announced his visit by sharing a photo of himself with the President of Ukraine on his Twitter account; “Mr. President, Volodymyr. It’s nice to be in Kiev again,” he wrote.
In the message shared from Zelenskiy’s Telegram account, it was said, “This war that has been going on for days has proven that Great Britain’s support for Ukraine is firm and determined. We are pleased to see our country’s great friend, Boris Johnson, in Kiev again.”
Prime Minister Johnson was to attend a conference of a group of Conservative MPs in Doncaster; however, he canceled his visit to go to Kiev.
Johnson’s visit followed the visits of European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, to Ukraine.
Following these visits, the European Commission supported Ukraine’s proposal to grant candidacy status to the EU, bringing Ukraine one step closer to joining the bloc.