Amid war, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy finds a 'friend' in UK PM Sunak

Ukraine's embattled President Volodymyr Zelenskyy touched down in the English capital of London on Monday to meet his "friend" Rishi Sunak. In a tweet ahead of meeting the British premier, Zelenskyy said that they will "conduct substantive negotiations face-to-face and in delegations".

"The UK is a leader when it comes to expanding our capabilities on the ground and in the air. This cooperation will continue today," he added. Zelenskyy arrived in the UK on the morning of Monday, becoming the first world leader to be hosted by Sunak at the Chequers country estate. 

Today – London. The UK is a leader when it comes to expanding our capabilities on the ground and in the air. This cooperation will continue today. I will meet my friend Rishi. We will conduct substantive negotiations face-to-face and in delegations.

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 15, 2023

According to Sky News, the meeting would bring additional military aid to Ukraine, bolstering the country with air defence missiles and new long-range attack drones. Just last week, the UK announced that it has provided the war-torn nation with long-range Storm Shadow precision missiles.

Sunak welcomes Zelenskyy to the UK

Zelenskyy's trip to the UK comes after a busy weekend of meeting German, French, and Italian leaders. It also comes months after he met Sunak and King Charles in the UK in February. To mark his arrival on Monday, the British PM took to Twitter and wrote: "Welcome back, Zelenskyy." 

As the 15-month war between Russia and Ukraine shows no sign of concluding, Sunak assured support to the latter and urged world leaders to "not let them down". “This is a crucial moment in Ukraine’s resistance to a terrible war of aggression they did not choose or provoke. They need the sustained support of the international community to defend against the barrage of unrelenting and indiscriminate attacks that have been their daily reality for over a year. We must not let them down. The frontlines of [Russian President] Putin’s war of aggression may be in Ukraine but the fault lines stretch all over the world. It is in all our interest to ensure Ukraine succeeds and Putin’s barbarism is not rewarded,” he said.