Prime Minister Andy Burnham welcomed President Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street today, offering a clear message of solidarity. "We are behind you and that will not change," the Prime Minister told the Ukrainian leader during his visit to London.
The meeting occurred as President Zelensky works to bolster international backing following recent comments from US President Donald Trump, who called for the Ukrainian leader to step down and moved to lift sanctions on Russian diesel. Mr. Burnham noted that while Ukraine has expressed a willingness to discuss an energy ceasefire proposed by the US president, Russia’s only response has been to conduct further attacks on critical national infrastructure within Ukraine.
President Zelensky expressed his gratitude for the relationship between the two nations. "Our people, we survived and continue to do this because we have strong partners and I'm very proud that we have one of the strongest partners in our history and it's your people, Andy," he said.
Upon his arrival, the Ukrainian president was received with a hug from Mr. Burnham, cheers from civil servants, and a military honour guard. Ahead of the visit, the government at No 10 confirmed plans to accelerate the delivery of lightweight multirole missiles to Ukraine, which have already proven effective in countering Russian drones.
