Boris Johnson meets President Zelenskey in a 'surprise' visit to Kyiv
April 9, 2022, 5:52 pm

Boris Johnson meets President Zelenskey in a 'surprise' visit to Kyiv

Today (Apr 9) I met my friend President Zelenskyy in Kyiv as a show of our unwavering support for the people of Ukraine. We're setting out a new package of financial and military aid which is a testament of our commitment to his country's struggle against Russia’s barbaric campaign (File photo: Boris Johnson official Facebook page)

The Guradian reported, Ukrainian officials have said that Boris Johnson is meeting the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskey during an unannounced visit to Kyiv.

A picture posted on Twitter by the embassy of Ukraine to the UK showed the two leaders sitting across a table in the capital, with their respective flags in the background.

The embassy tweeted the photo along with the caption: “Surprise”.

A No 10 spokesperson said the prime minister was using the unannounced visit to set out a new package of financial and military aid.

The spokesperson said: “The prime minister has travelled to Ukraine to meet President Zelenskiy 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.”

Surprise 😉 pic.twitter.com/AWa5RjYosD
— Embassy of Ukraine to the UK (@UkrEmbLondon) April 9, 2022

The Guardian said, Johnson’s visit comes the day after he announced a further £100m worth of UK military assistance for Ukrainian forces, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft weaponry and so-called “suicide drones”, which loiter over the battlefield before attacking their target.

It mentioned, Johnson’s trip to Kyiv may be seen as a publicity coup for the prime minister who has been desperate to travel to Ukraine.

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The security situation in the capital has stabilised after Russian forces withdrew from their forward positions on 29 March. They abandoned the towns of Bucha and Hostomel north-west of Kyiv and retreated to Belarus.

Since then artillery attacks on the city have stopped. Emergency teams have swept highways and roadsides for explosives and have been towing away destroyed Russian armoured vehicles.

With air travel impossible, Johnson will have driven to Kyiv, most probably from eastern Poland. The 600km route from the border passes the western city of Lviv. On the outskirts of the capital Johnson will have seen blown-up Russian tanks by the side of the road, as well as ironic welcoming signs painted by Ukrainians saying: “Russia go fuck yourself”.

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The report pointed out that Johnson is a popular figure in Kyiv after having delivered vital anti-tank weapons, the Swedish-made NLAW system, to the Ukrainian army. Zelenskiy has repeatedly praised the UK’s staunch support.

Source: theguardian

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.