British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday paid a surprise visit to Ukraine, which celebrates its Independence Day, while marking six months since the Russian invasion.
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“This is the third time Boris Johnson has been in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion. Not every country is lucky to have such a friend,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said upon receiving him.
He presented Mr Johnson with the Order of Freedom, the highest Ukrainian decoration that can be awarded to a foreigner.
“There is a strong will among Ukrainians to resist. And that’s what (Vladimir) Putin didn’t understand,” Boris Johnson told reporters.
“You are defending your right to live in peace and freedom, and that is why Ukraine will win,” he continued, pledging new military aid to Kyiv of 54 million pounds (64 million euros). ).
“What is happening in Ukraine concerns us all. That’s why I’m in Kyiv today. This is why the United Kingdom will continue to stand alongside our Ukrainian friends, ”wrote on Twitter Mr. Johnson, who will leave his post in less than two weeks.
Given favorite to replace Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, currently head of British diplomacy, also showed his support for Kyiv.
“Today is the day when the Ukrainian people celebrate their independence, but they must fight for the future of their country,” she said in a campaign statement. “If I become Prime Minister, I will do everything possible to keep the flame of freedom in Ukraine burning.”
Mr. Johnson is one of the Western politicians who have displayed the strongest support for Ukraine in the face of Russia and is very popular in Kyiv.
On April 9, he was the first leader of a G7 country to visit Ukraine after the start of the war launched on February 24. London has since provided particularly strong military support to Kyiv.
During his second trip to Kyiv in mid-June, he announced an extensive training program for Ukrainian forces before taking a walk with Mr. Zelensky in the then deserted center of Kyiv, a gesture welcomed by Ukrainians.