UK PM Sunak assures support for Ukraine as Zelenskyy arrives in Britain

London [UK], May 15 : UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak assured support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who arrived in London on Monday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday arrived in the United Kingdom and held discussions with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The two leaders discussed how to ensure that support is not just for today but for the future.

In a tweet, UK PM's office stated, "United in action. Last year the UK provided Ukraine with more military support than any country except the US. Today, @RishiSunak and @ZelenskyyUa discussed how we ensure that support is not just here for today, but into the future as well."

Sunak has assured Zelenskyy that the UK continues to stand with Ukraine. "The United Kingdom stands side by side with Ukraine," he tweeted.

Notably, the UK has been offering military assistance to Ukraine ever since the conflict between Kyiv and Moscow started in February last year.

Upon his arrival in the UK, Zelenskyy was welcomed by Rishi Sunak. During the visit, Zelenskyy will update Rishi Sunak on his meetings with European leaders over the weekend.

The Ukrainian President's visit comes ahead of the Council of Europe Summit in Iceland, which Rishi Sunak and Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend virtually and the G7 Summit in Japan, according to the statement released by the UK Prime Minister's office.

UK PM's office in a tweet stated, "President @ZelenskyyUa arrives in the UK for discussions with Prime Minister @RishiSunak on Ukraine's ongoing military resistance to Putin's brutal invasion."

Rishi Sunak will announce that the UK will provide Ukraine with hundreds of air defence missiles and further unmanned aerial systems including hundreds of new long-range attack drones with a range of over 200 kilometres, according to the statement released by UK PM's office. The military equipment will be delivered to Ukraine in the coming months.

UK PM's office in a statement said, "The Prime Minister is working with partners in the G7, NATO and beyond to provide Ukraine with the kind of assurances and capabilities it needs to strengthen and guard its long-term security beyond the end of the war - putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position to seek a fair and lasting peace."

On Sunday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Germany will support Ukraine as long as needed, Al Jazeera reported. He made the remarks during a joint press conference after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's arrived in Berlin for his first visit since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February last year.

Speaking at a joint news conference on Sunday, Scholz said, "I have said it many times, and I repeat it here today: we will support you for as long as it is necessary. He further said that Germany stood with its partners "for Russia to be held to account for its misdeeds," as per the Al Jazeera report.

Zelenskyy said that he will always be grateful to Germany for its support amid the ongoing conflict. His statement came after the German government announced military assistance worth 2.7 billion euros for Ukraine.