Ukrainian President Zelenskyy meets UK PM Sunak, discusses defense support

Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to the Head of the British Government and all the people of Great Britain for supporting Ukraine.

"In this time of challenges, in this difficult, decisive moment for our people, in particular for our soldiers, when we are preparing for counteroffensive steps and we need success, you are with us, you are helping - the whole of the UK, your government and you personally. This is very important to us. Thank you very much for this," he said during a conversation with media representatives following the talks with Rishi Sunak.

According to him, today's meeting focused on defense support for Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked for the significant support package prepared by the UK for our country and noted that it would help save the lives of our people.

He said that today, during the talks, the issue of providing Ukraine with fighter jets was discussed.

"This is a very important topic for us, because we cannot control the sky... We are partners, and Rishi knows all the details of what is happening at the front. We want to create a coalition of fighter jets. We have talked about it. I am extremely positive about it. And I think you will hear about important decisions in the near future. But first, we have to work a little bit," Zelenskyy said.

For his part, Rishi Sunak said that he was honored and pleased to welcome Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the UK again.

"Today, Ukraine is bravely resisting Russian aggression. And we had a great opportunity to talk about the support provided by the UK to Ukraine not only now, but also for the future," he emphasized.

The Prime Minister noted that Ukrainians today are defending common values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law on the battlefield.

According to Rishi Sunak, his country will continue to provide the Ukrainian people with the support they need to defend themselves against aggression.

He noted that the United Kingdom is pleased to be the first country to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons, and will also strengthen our air defense and provide long-range attack drones.

"And the Kremlin should know that we are not going anywhere, we will continue to do so. We remain steadfast in helping Ukraine defend itself," the British Prime Minister said.

He believes that Ukraine must not only restore its territorial integrity, but also be able to defend itself in the future.

"Another topic of our talks today was the security arrangements that we should put in place amongst allied countries for Ukraine for the long term," said Rishi Sunak.

He also noted that the United Kingdom is ready to play an active and key role in the creation of an aviation coalition. The Prime Minister noted that this issue concerns not only the provision of aircraft, but also pilot training and appropriate logistical support. (ILKHA)