Government
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy meets with King Charles III and British Prime Minister
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#UnitedKingdom, February 9, 2023 – “I have come here on behalf of the brave, who are in the trenches under artillery fire”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told UK politicians in a surprise visit to the country on Wednesday February 8th. It is only the second time he has left his war ravaged country in almost a year, this time the journey was to meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles lll as Britain ramps up military aid for the country. The trip was kept under wraps much longer than his trip to the US with the news only breaking hours before the dignitary was due to land.
He landed in the country and was met by the PM, the two then traveled to 10 Downing Street where they held private
Once again a stark contrast to the suited audience he wore simple army fatigues and boots and was met with thunderous applause. Zelenskyy put in a request for more aircraft to go with the Ukrainians currently being trained in Britain to fly fighter jets.
“In Britain, the king is an air force pilot, and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king— I will be leaving Parliament today thanking all of you in advance for powerful English planes,”
He made special mention of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson who had promised to support Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes’ offering him his thanks.
He called on Britain and the rest of the world to give preventative aid to countries that were at risk of being invaded and put preventative sanctions against aggressors maintaining that would be a critical part of any world anti-war strategy. Amidst rumours of war profiteering in his own country he said
“Anyone who invests in terror must be held accountable and anyone who invests in violence must compensate those who have suffered from terror.”
After he left Parliament the Ukrainian leader met with the King at Buckingham Palace where they posed for a photo then spoke in a private meeting
Following the day of meetings it was revealed that Sunak had already asked the Defense Ministry to look into sending the jets to Ukraine.
February 24 is the morbid one year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.