Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives in the UK today on his first visit since Russia’s invasion to address parliament and meet with prime minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian troops being trained by British armed forces.
Sunak will expand the training offered by the UK to include fighter jet pilots and marines “ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future”.
Sunak said:
President Zelenskiy’s visit to the UK is a testament to his country’s courage, determination and fight, and a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries … Since 2014, the UK has provided vital training to Ukrainian forces, allowing them to defend their country, protect their sovereignty and fight for their territory.
According to Downing Street, under the training programme already running in the UK 10,000 Ukrainian troops have been brought to battle readiness in the last six months, and it will upskill a further 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers this year.
The UK will continue to work with the Ukrainian armed forces and the international community to scale the programme up in 2023, said No 10.
An announcement of further sanctions is also expected today, including the targeting of those who have “helped Putin build his personal wealth, and companies who are profiting from the Kremlin’s war machine”, the statement said.
In November, the UK government announced a fresh round of sanctions against 22 Russians, including those the Foreign Office said were involved in enlisting criminals to fight in Ukraine.
The Russian officials joined more than 1,000 others, including 120 the UK has sanctioned since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, among them Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian prime minister, and Roman Abramovich, the former owner of Chelsea FC.