Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the UK on Wednesday, his first trip to the area since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
The British government has said Zelenskyy will first visit Britain, where he will meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and make a speech to Parliament. Buckingham Palace has announced that the Ukrainian president will also meet King Charles III in the afternoon, reports the BBC.
The UK remains a major contributor to Ukraine during the ongoing invasion, having sent over $2.5 billion in arms and military equipment to the country.
The contributions include a pledge to send Ukrainian 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 workers work on the site of a demolished residential building which was badly damaged during Russian attacks, Feb. 7, 2023, in Hostomel, Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey/Getty Images)
The two leaders “agreed on the need to seize this moment with an acceleration of comprehensive military and diplomatic support for Ukraine,” according to one reading of the British government’s appeal.
Likewise France, Poland, Germany and the United States agreed to send tanks.
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Following a consolidation by Russian forces, the war in Ukraine has escalated in recent months as Russia and Ukraine seek to build up their forces.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses a press conference following the EU-Ukraine summit in Kyiv, Ukraine on Friday, February 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
The current battle remains in the Donbass, where intense fighting continues along a 50-mile region from Bakhmut and Soledar in Donetsk to Kremmina in Luhansk.
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Zelenskyy’s visit to the UK comes as Britain has announced it will train Ukrainian pilots on “standard NATO fighter jets”. The UK has said it will not send British planes.
Paintings are seen on a wall of a House of Culture badly damaged during the 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 its invasion, as he visited the United States in December last year.
Caitlin McFall of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
