Rishi Sunak promises UK support for Ukraine will ‘never falter’ | British News

Britain’s support for Ukraine will “never diminish,” Rishi Sunak promised after his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky at the G7 summit in Hiroshima.

The President of Ukraine was received like a hero when he landed in Japan on Saturday for talks with the leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies.

His visit to the conference comes hours after Joe Biden gave the green light for the delivery of US-made F-16 fighter jets to Kiev – a major boost to the country’s efforts to repel the Russian invasion.

In a statement, Mr Sunak said he was “delighted that the G7 agreed on the importance of providing President Zelenskyy with the advanced military equipment needed to win this war and be free and democratic.” nation to prosper”.

He said: “The G7 was once the G8 – Russia was expelled in 2014 for the illegal annexation of Crimea and flagrant violations of human rights and the rule of law.”

“Nine years later, it’s an incredibly powerful message to have my friend and Ukrainian President Zelenskyj with us today in Hiroshima.”

“It shows the world that the G7 stand with the Ukrainian people in the face of a terrible onslaught.” And it shows that brute force and repression will not triumph over freedom and sovereignty.

“From providing Challenger tanks to long-range missiles and pilot training, UK support for Ukraine’s defense will never falter.”

The couple met for a warm, informal meeting on Saturday after Mr. Zelenskyj landed in Japan.

“Nice to see you,” the Prime Minister said, patting him on the shoulder after they exchanged a hug. ‘You managed.’

When asked by reporters if it was a good day for Ukraine, Mr Zelenskyi smiled, nodded and said “Thank you”.

Mr. Zelenskyj later tweeted: “Peace will come closer today.”

G7 leaders vowed to support Ukraine “for as long as necessary,” increasing the cost to Russia and those supporting its war.

They also used their joint statement to express criticism of China, saying they remain “seriously concerned” about the aggression against Taiwan.

In a report on Mr Sunak’s meeting with the Ukrainian leader, No. 10 said: “The Prime Minister updated President Zelenskyy on the very positive progress made at the G7 so far, including new sanctions against Russia and the deployment of warplanes.”

“Leaders looked forward to continuing talks with G7 countries and other partners on supporting Ukraine and addressing Russia’s destabilizing and illegal behavior.”

Moscow warned that the “escalation” entailed “enormous risks” for the countries involved.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the Tass news agency: “We see that Western countries continue to cling to an escalation scenario that poses enormous risks for them.”

“We will definitely take it into account in the planning.”

“We have all the means necessary to achieve our goals.”

Mr. Biden told his allies at the Hiroshima conference that he would give legislative approval to allow the US-made planes to be donated to Kiev.

The US President, who is attending the G7 summit along with fellow members France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Canada and the EU, also announced training for Ukrainian pilots.

The prime minister welcomed the decision and urged his allies to provide the Ukrainian president with the fighter jets he requested.

Mr. Sunak tweeted: “Ukraine, we’re not going anywhere.”

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