Leading the news: Johnson has pledged new military assistance to Ukraine, including about 120 armored vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems, and pledged an additional $ 500 million in World Bank lending to Ukraine per office.
“We are defining a new package of financial and military assistance that is a testament to our commitment to his country’s fight against Russia’s barbaric campaign,” Johnson tweeted after meeting with Zelensky. Zelensky and Johnson also walked in the center of Kiev on Saturday, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
What they say: “Boris was among those who did not hesitate for a moment to support Ukraine,” Zelensky said in his overnight speech on Saturday, according to an official transcript published in English.
“The leadership of the United Kingdom to provide the necessary assistance to our country, especially in the field of defense, as well as the leadership in the policy of sanctions will forever remain in history … Ukraine will always be grateful to Boris and Britain for that “, added Zelenski.
Johnson, meanwhile, praised Zelensky for “his resolute leadership and the invincible heroism and courage of the Ukrainian people that Putin’s monstrous goals are thwarted,” according to the office of the United Kingdom’s prime minister.
“I made it clear today that the United Kingdom stands by them in this ongoing struggle and we are in it for the long term,” he said. “We are strengthening our military and financial support and convening a global alliance to end this tragedy and to ensure that Ukraine survives and thrives as a free and sovereign nation,” Johnson added.
Situation: In a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Solz on Friday, Johnson announced new sanctions against the Russian economy and condemned the “barbaric attack on Ukraine” by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Johnson, who has explicitly condemned Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, called the Russian missile strike on a train station in Kramatorsk a “war crime.” “The attack on the railway station in eastern Ukraine shows the depths in which Putin’s despised army has sunk … Russia’s crimes in Ukraine will not go unnoticed or unpunished,” Johnson said on Friday.
Go deeper … Dashboard: Russian invasion of Ukraine Editor’s note: This article has been updated with comments from Zelensky.
