British Prime Minister meets Zelensky as Russian forces rise on the border
Despite the delicate situation in his country, the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, found a gap on Tuesday and traveled to Kiev to meet with the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, and show his support in the face of the difficult situation that his country, harassed by a force of more than 100,000 Russian soldiers deployed along the border.
Zelensky declared that Johnson “has guaranteed me support for the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.” Both leaders reaffirmed their desire to “deepen the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom in all areas of mutual interest.” Shortly before his plane landed in Kiev, the head of the British government wrote on Twitter that “as a friend and democratic partner, the UK will continue to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty against those who seek to destroy it.”
In addition to Johnson, this Tuesday the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, also visited Kiev, and next Monday the Foreign Ministers of France, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and Germany, Annalena Baerbock, will also arrive. According to the head of the Ukrainian Diplomacy, Dimitro Kuleba, his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, whom he has personally invited, will also travel to the Ukrainian capital soon. There are already several leaders of Western countries who have been passing through Kiev for days as a sign of support.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Poland plan to create a European “axis” of political cooperation. Johnson and Morawiecki had been scheduled to announce the launch of this new European group on Tuesday, but Kuleba assured that the event is postponed for now, since the head of the British Foreign Office, Liz Truss, has not been able to accompany Johnson in his trip to Ukraine after contracting the coronavirus.
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