- Foreign Secretary has travelled to Ukraine to
underline the UK’s unwavering support for the country.
- Comes ahead of major
recovery summit set to be held in London later this month to spur
the country’s economic recovery.
- Foreign Secretary meets
President Zelenskyy in Kyiv, following the Prime Minister’s
bilateral with him in Moldova last week.
Ukraine can count on the UK’s support, both on the battlefield
and during its recovery, the Foreign Secretary has told the
country during his second visit to Kyiv.
The visit comes as the UK prepares to host the Ukraine Recovery
Conference in London later this month, which will bring together
world leaders, business chief executives, NGOs and the Ukrainian
Government to discuss how to rebuild and bolster the country’s
economic outlook.
While in Ukraine the Foreign Secretary met President Zelenskyy
and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to discuss how the UK can
continue to best support Ukraine, from the battlefield to banking
guarantees.
It is the fourth meeting President Zelenskyy and senior UK
ministers have held in as many weeks, with Prime Minister holding
bilateral talks with President Zelenskyy at the meeting of the
European Political Community in Moldova last week, in Japan at
the G7 Summit in May, and at Chequers in the UK the week before
the Hiroshima meeting.
The Foreign Secretary’s Kyiv visit builds on his engagements in
Estonia last week and a meeting of the NATO Foreign Ministers in
Norway, where he reiterated the UK’s call for Ukraine to join
NATO and for the Alliance to be made even stronger with the swift
accession of Sweden.
Foreign Secretary said:
"As Ukraine continues its sustained fightback
against Russia, I was able to see for myself the true horrors and
devastation of what Russia has wreaked on this sovereign
state.
"Forcibly deporting children, razing cities like Bakhmut,
Izium and Mariupol to the ground and committing atrocities are
not the acts of a responsible international state. They are
the actions of a hostile regime that is in violation of the UN
Charter.
"Ukraine will win this war and can count on our
support.”
This is the second time the Foreign Secretary has visited Ukraine
since Russia’s illegal invasion, last visiting in November 2022
to discuss the UK’s support for the country. Defence Secretary
has also visited the country twice, most recently in
May 2023.
During his visit the Foreign Secretary met children who were
forcibly deported to Russian and listened to some
survivors' accounts at a centre supporting their return to
life in Ukraine. Last year, the UK announced sanctions against
the Russian Children's Rights Commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova,
for her alleged involvement in the forced transfer and adoption
of Ukrainian children. She has since become subject to an
International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
The UK has been unwavering in its support for the people of
Ukraine as they resist a brutal and unprovoked invasion. Last
year the UK provided £2.3bn in military aid to Ukraine – the
largest package of support of any European nation and second only
to the United States’ support. This includes the delivery of
StormShadow missiles to help its military to push back Russian
forces based on Ukrainian sovereign territory.
We have also pledged £1.5bn in economic and humanitarian support,
which has funded the delivery of more than 11 million medical
items.
Background
- The Ukraine Recovery
Conference will be held in London on 21 - 22 June 2023 and will
bring together governments and industry leaders to develop a
concerted multi-sector plan to help Ukraine to recover from
Russia's illegal invasion.
