Breaking – Ukraine’s President Zelensky thanks UK and makes plea for fighter jets in address to UK Parliament
Ukraine’s president received a standing ovation from parliament after he delivered a speech calling on the UK and the West to provide Ukraine with fighter jets, in a surprise visit to London.
In his speech, he thanked the UK for supporting Ukraine from the beginning and thanked PM Rishi Sunak for providing more equipment to his country.
He said: “We will always come out on top of evil.
“We know freedom will win. We know Russia will lose.”
He thanked “all the people of England and Scotland, of Wales and Northern Ireland” for their support, on behalf of “our fighters who are now in the trenches under enemy artillery fire”.
‘Combat aircraft for Ukraine are wings for freedom’
After saying he will “have the honour” to meet King Charles later today, Mr Zelensky presented the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lyndsay Hoyle, with a signed helmet from “one of our most successful” Ukrainian Air Force pilots.
“He’s one of our kings,” he said. “And the writing on the helmet reads: ‘We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it’.”
He added: “In Britain, the King is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king.”
Mr Zelensky said he hoped the symbol of the helmet will help for their “next coalition of planes”.
He added: “I appeal to you, and the word is simple, and the most important words: Combat aircraft for Ukraine are wings for freedom.”
Zelensky to visit King Charles
The Ukrainian president finished his speech by thanking parliamentarians for their support.
“And leaving British parliament two years ago, I thank you for delicious English tea.
“And I will be leaving the parliament today thanking all of you in advance for powerful English planes.
“God bless Great Britain and long, long live the King. Slava Ukraini.”
Boris Johnson thanked to extending ‘helping hand’
Boris Johnson was sat in the crowd today, he was singled out in Zelensky’s speech for extending “your helping hand when the world had not yet come to understand how to react”.
Zelensky thanks the UK for “all showed your grit and character” and the “strong British character” at the beginning of the war, in his speech.
“You did not compromise your ideals and thus you didn’t compromise the spirit of this great alliance. Thank you very much,” he added.
He received one of many ovations after saying: “Do you have a feeling that the evil will crumble once again? I can see in your eyes now we think the same way as you do.
“We know freedom will win. We know. We know Russia will lose.
“And we really know the victory. The victory will change the world. And this will be a change that the world has long needed.”
Zelensky arrives in Britain for second foreign visit since invasion
The president arrived in the UK just before 10.30 am on an RAF plane, where PM Sunak greeted him.
After entering No 10, Mr Zelenskyy thanked Britain for its “big support from the first days of full-scale invasion” and said his country has “very good relations with Rishi”.
The visit is only Mr Zelenskyy’s second visit outside Ukraine since Russia invaded last February. He travelled to the United States just before Christmas and stopped off in Poland on the way back.
Mr Zelenskyy is set to meet King Charles at Buckingham Palace this afternoon and will visit also Ukrainian troops training in the UK.
Today, the UK imposed further sanctions on companies supplying equipment to Russia for the war and Russians connected to “nefarious financial networks.”
Mr Sunak is set to discuss further support for Ukraine through more equipment and training.
