Boris Johnson makes surprise Kyiv visit on Ukraine independence day
Boris Johnson has made a surprise visit to Kyiv today to mark Ukraine’s independence day.
Johnson said that “I believe Ukraine can and will win this war” in what will be his final trip to the country as UK Prime Minister.
Johnson also said higher energy bills were worth paying to support Ukraine and that “if we’re paying in our energy bills for the evils of Vladimir Putin, the people of Ukraine are paying in their blood”.
The visit was announced through Number 10’s Twitter profile, which uploaded a picture of the Prime Minister talking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Foreign Affairs Committee chair and Tory MP Tom Tugendhat is also in Ukraine currently, along with 30 other European politicians.
Today is the 31st anniversary of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union.
The UK announced last night that it had begun talks with the Ukrainian government to strike a digital trade deal to coincide with the milestone.
Boris Johnson last night lamented that Ukraine’s “independence is threatened once again”, but added that “I have never doubted for a moment that Ukraine is going to win this struggle”.
“Because, no force on earth can overcome the patriotism of 44 million Ukrainians,” he said.
“And however long it takes, the United Kingdom will stand with Ukraine and provide every possible military, economic and humanitarian support.”