Boris Johnson has visited President Zelensky in Kyiv on Ukraine’s Independence Day.
Appearing next to his Ukrainian counterpart, Mr Johnson claimed unity was “growing” among Western countries in relation to continued military support, despite reports European support could “dry up” because of the cost-of-living crisis.
“While people are paying energy bills, people in Ukraine are paying with blood,” said Mr Johnson, who added that British households would “have to endure the cost-of-living crisis” in order to counter Russia’s “inevitable manipulation of energy prices”.
The Prime Minister has arrived in Kyiv on Ukraine’s 31st Independence Day.
His message: Ukraine can and will win this war. pic.twitter.com/9DKZYs9QRe
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) August 24, 2022
“The hardships are real, but we need to fix the underlying issue which is dependence on Russian gas,” he added.
When asked by the BBC just how independent his country was, President Zelensky said “Ukraine is as independent as possible”, and stressed that the unity inside the country mustn’t be lost.
President Zelensky then unveiled a plaque for the British prime minister on his new “alley of bravery” outside the Ukrainian parliament.
With a heavy security presence, the pair then went for a walk through the centre of Kyiv.