Ukrainian president and British PM discuss security issues amid Russia's military buildup
February 2, 2022, 7:33 am

Ukrainian president and British PM discuss security issues amid Russia's military buildup

President Volodymyr Zelensky-PM Boris Johnson/Facebook page

The Xinhua reported, Ukrainian the presidential press service said, President Volodymyr Zelensky and visiting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met in Kiev on Tuesday to discuss security issues, in particular Russian military buildup on the Ukrainian border.

In a joint statement after their talks, Zelensky and Johnson warned that any further Russian incursion in Ukraine would be a massive strategic mistake and have a stark humanitarian cost.

The leaders said that Ukraine and Britain agreed to work together to strengthen Ukraine's security and the ability to defend itself. They also expressed their commitment to strengthen Ukraine's energy security and support its efforts toward the green transition.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky/Facebook page

At the briefing after the talks, Zelensky said that although he does not support all the provisions of the Minsk agreements, it is the "only format that works."

Boris Johnson travels to Ukraine for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky

Zelensky said: "We must do something that can de-occupy our territories in particular, protect our state in one form or another."

He also said that Britain will allocate some 2 billion British pounds (around 2.7 billion U.S. dollars) for joint infrastructure and energy projects with Ukraine.

For his part, Johnson announced that Britain will also provide 88 million pounds (around 119 million dollars) of new funding for Ukraine to help it reduce the reliance on Russian energy supplies.

The Xinhua noted that Johnson arrived in Kiev earlier in the day for a working visit. According to local media reports, later this week, he will hold phone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Since November, Kiev and some Western countries have accused Russia of assembling heavy troops near the Ukrainian border with a possible intention of "invasion."

Russia denied the accusation, saying that Russia has the right to mobilize troops within its borders to defend its territory as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's activities constitute a threat to Russia's border security.

Source: xinhua

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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.