British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a surprise visit to Ukraine on January 12 to reassure Ukrainians of his country's support in their struggle to repel Russian invaders "for as long as it takes" and pledged an increase in military aid as Kyiv urgently appeals for its allies to beef up weapons deliveries amid a sharp rise in Russian air strikes.
The British leader toured several bombed-out areas of the capital and spoke with Ukrainians amid the rubble before meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The two signed a key agreement on security cooperation. Sunak also pledged an increase in military aid for the embattled country, which has complained recently that it is running out of ammunition.
“Our opponents around the world believe that we have neither the patience nor the resources for long wars,” Sunak said.
“Ukraine is not alone, and Ukraine will never be alone. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin might think that he can outlast us, but he is wrong. We stand with you today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes."
Zelenskiy described the U.K.-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation, which follows on from an agreement by the Group of Seven nations to provide Ukraine with bilateral security assurances, as an "unprecedented security agreement."
"I am in Ukraine to deliver a simple message. Our support cannot and will not falter," Sunak earlier wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in a message accompanied by a photo of himself among people in Kyiv.
Ahead of arriving in Kyiv on January 12, Sunak announced an increase in military funding to $3.2 billion for Ukraine. In a statement, the British government pledged that some of the funds will be used for "the largest delivery of drones to Ukraine from any nation."
"We will stand with Ukraine, in their darkest hours and in the better times to come," the statement said.
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Sunak first visited Ukraine in November soon after he became prime minister.
Sunak, who first visited Ukraine in November soon after he became prime minister, was due to hold talks with Zelenskiy and other senior Ukrainian officials.
Britain is the second-largest donor of military aid to Kyiv after the United State, with a total contribution of 4.6 billion pounds ($5.35 billion) in 2022 and last year.
The British pledge to increase aid by $255 million from the previous year comes a day after Zelenskiy returned to Ukraine from a tour of the Baltics where he continued to push Western allies to boost funding for the war as it nears its two-year mark.
Zelenskiy has pleaded with Ukraine's allies to keep supplying it with weapons amid signs of donor fatigue in some countries and as Russia turns to countries such as Iran and North Korea for munitions.
On January 11 he said that the situation on the front line is "very complicated" and again said that Ukrainian forces lack weapons.
He also said that after a March presidential election in Russia, which incumbent Vladimir Putin is expected to easily win, the Kremlin will likely undertake military action on a larger scale in Ukraine.
Ukraine has been subjected to several massive waves of Russian missile and drone strikes since the start of the year that have caused civilian deaths and material damage.