- Prime Minister visits Kyiv to underline
the UK’s unwavering, long term support to Ukraine as it marks
31 years of independence from the Soviet Union.
- Visit comes as the Prime Minister announces another major
package of support, including unmanned surveillance and missile
systems for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- The £54 million package of 200 state-of-the-art drones and
loitering munitions will enable Ukraine to better track and
target invading Russian forces.
The Prime Minister has travelled to Kyiv today in a show of
strength and solidarity with Ukraine as he tells President
Zelenskyy his country ‘can and will win the war’.
As part of the visit, his third to the city since the invasion,
the Prime Minister also called on the international community to
stay the course in Ukraine, as it continues to valiantly defend
its sovereignty six months on from Putin’s brutal and illegal
invasion.
While meeting President Zelenskyy in Kyiv today to mark 31 years
of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union, the Prime
Minister also outlined the UK’s next major package of new
support, including unmanned surveillance and anti-tank loitering
munitions requested by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
This package of unmanned air systems will be a step up in the
Ukrainian’s current capability, improving their long range
surveillance and defensive targeting ability.
It includes 850 hand launched Black Hornet micro-drones, which
are specifically designed for use in towns and villages, and are
deployed to detect approaching enemy forces.
Military personnel can be trained to fly the helicopter drones,
which are smaller than a mobile phone, in under 20 minutes. Each
drone feeds back live video and still images to allow forces on
the ground to defend urban areas safely.
Prime Minister said:
For the past six months, the United Kingdom has stood
shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine, supporting this sovereign
country to defend itself from this barbaric and illegal invader.
Today’s package of support will give the brave and resilient
Ukrainian Armed Forces another boost in capability, allowing them
to continue to push back Russian forces and fight for their
freedom.
What happens in Ukraine matters to us all, which is why I am here
today to deliver the message that the United Kingdom is with you
and will be with you for the days and months ahead, and you can
and will win.
The leaders also held talks on the challenges of the winter ahead
for the country, and the Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s
all-encompassing and unwavering support for the Ukrainian people,
from humanitarian aid to supporting the investigation of war
crimes and rebuilding the country’s economy.
In his final visit to the country before leaving Downing Street,
the Prime Minister also received Ukraine’s highest award that can
be bestowed on foreign nationals, ‘The Order of Liberty’, for the
UK’s staunch support of Ukraine’s freedom.
Today’s £54 million military package comes as the UK also
prepares to give minehunting vehicles to Ukraine to help detect
Russian mines in the waters off its coast. Ukrainian personnel
will be trained how to use them in UK waters in the coming weeks.
The UK also continues to expand the training of Ukrainian
military personnel.
Eight other countries have signed up to the major training
programmes, which trains civilians to become soldiers, since the
Prime Minister announced the programme on his previous visit to
Ukraine in June.
Partners contributing expertise and trainers to the rapidly
expanding programme include Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, The
Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Lithuania.
The UK has also helped to drive continued international momentum
on funding for defensive lethal aid to Ukraine. Since the Prime
Minister announced an additional £1 billion to provide military
aid to Ukraine at NATO in June, a further £1.2 bn worth of
financial pledges from allies were secured for Ukraine at the
Copenhagen Conference, co-hosted by the UK and Denmark earlier
this month.
The UK has committed more than £2.3bn of military and financial
aid to Ukraine since the invasion began in February.
