Cape Town – In what could be his final international visit as British Prime Minister, outgoing Boris Johnson met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Ukraine’s Independence Day on Wednesday.
According to Asian News International, Johnson received a parting gift during his visit with his counterpart Zelensky awarding him the Order of Freedom for “the work that Boris has been doing for our country and all of Europe”.
What happens in Ukraine matters to us all.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 24, 2022
That is why I am in Kyiv today.
That is why the UK will continue to stand with our Ukrainian friends.
I believe Ukraine can and will win this war. pic.twitter.com/FIovnqJGTS
The UK has reportedly poured more than $2.71 billion into military and financial aid to Ukraine since the start of the Russia-Ukraine crisis six months ago.
“What happens in Ukraine matters to us all. That is why I am in Kyiv today,” Johnson wrote in a tweet.
“That is why the UK will continue to stand with our Ukrainian friends.
“I believe Ukraine can and will win this war,” said Johnson.
Furthermore, the UK government also announced it will be provide Ukraine with drones and mine-hunting vehicles worth $63.5 million, and announced its intention to pursue a new digital trade agreement to assist Ukraine rebuilt its economy.
Ukraine’s Independence Day is celebrated as the day it adopted the Act of the Declaration of Independence in 1991 which affirmed the nations right to its own citizenship and foreign policy.
Meanwhile, in an address to the Security Council on Wednesday, secretary-general Antonio Guterres highlighted his concerns on the conflict in Ukraine while at the same time praised the progress of the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed in Istanbul which ensured export of grain to the rest of the world.
“There has been dozens of ships sailing in and out of Ukrainian ports, loaded so far with over 720 000 metric tonnes of grains and other food products,” said Guterres.
“This deal would not have been possible without the constructive approach of both Ukraine and Russia and the efforts of the government of Turkiye,” he said.
IOL