Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to visit the UK on Wednesday, his first trip to the area since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
The British government said Zelenskyy will first visit Britain, where he will meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and address parliament.
The UK remains one of the largest contributors to Ukraine amid the ongoing invasion, having sent the country more than $2.5 billion worth of weapons and military equipment.
The contributions include a commitment to send Ukraine Challenger 2 tanks, which British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Saturday, along with additional artillery systems following a call with Zelenskyy.
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Demolition employees work on a site of a demolished residential building that was badly damaged during Russian attacks, on February 7, 2023, in Hostomel, Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey/Getty Images)
The two leaders “agreed on the need to seize this moment with an acceleration of global military and diplomatic support for Ukraine,” according to a reading of the British government call.
France, Poland, Germany, and the United States also agreed to send tanks.
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Following a consolidation of Russian forces, the war in Ukraine has intensified in recent months, with Russia and Ukraine seeking to bolster their own forces.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses a news conference after the EU-Ukraine summit in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, February 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
The current battle remains in the Donbas, where heavy fighting continues across a 50-mile region from Bakhmut and Soledar in Donetsk to Kremmina in Lugansk.
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Zelenskyy’s visit to the UK comes as Britain announced it will train Ukrainian pilots on “NATO standard fighter jets”. The UK has said it will not send UK planes.
Paintings are seen on a wall of a House of Culture badly damaged during Russian attacks, on February 7, 2023 in Irpin, Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey/Getty Images)
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The visit will be Zelenskyy’s second international trip since Russia launched the invasion, having visited the United States in December last year.
Caitlin McFall of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
