The British Ministry of Defense is to expand the training of Ukrainian troops to fighter pilots and marines
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address the British Parliament on Wednesday after a meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. It is his first visit to the allied country, which began in 2014, after the conquest of Crimea by the Russian army, with the training of Ukrainian troops. It will now expand it to the training of fighter jet pilots and marines.
Zelensky established a friendly relationship with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who responded to the invasion with immediate support for the Kiev government and visited him several times in the capital. The United Kingdom is the second European country, after Poland, in terms of percentage of GDP earmarked for economic and military aid to Ukraine. Support for the invaded country is not questioned by any opposition party.
Sunak’s intention to invite Zelensky may be related to eagerness to confirm his status as prime minister. The ousted Johnson has not given up on his ambition to return to Downing Street, has visited the Ukrainian president in Kiev and criticized Sunak in the United States for refusing to send fighter jets to the invaded country’s army.
After landing aboard a military aircraft transporting equipment and troops at Stanstead civilian airport shortly before 11:30 a.m., peninsula time, Zelensky had a brief meeting with Sunak at government headquarters. The Ukrainian president will address MPs, citizens and gentlemen in Westminster Hall, the large ceremonial space in the building that houses the chambers.
Buckingham Palace has announced that King Charles III will also receive Zelensky, who will travel in the afternoon to a town in southwest England to visit the military base with Sunak where troops are being trained to operate the Challenger 2 tanks that will support the United Kingdom has promised to send, and so have the Marines. According to London figures, 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have already been trained on British soil and this year is expected to rise to 20,000.
The visit of the Ukrainian president to the United Kingdom is his second visit to a European country. He stopped in Poland in December, on his way back from his trip to Washington, where he met President Joe Biden to thank the aid received. “My trip to the US was to get more guns and to say thank you for the support received. I want to travel to Brussels, but my travels involve great risks,” he said of an appointment that finally seems to take place this week.
Meanwhile, the Belgian capital shields itself from a possible visit from Zelensky. While there is still no official confirmation nor is it expected “for security reasons”, the Italian newspaper ‘La Stampa’ announced this week that the leader will finally attend the extraordinary summit to be held in Brussels next Thursday.
Zelensky received the invitation from European leaders to the meeting between the European Union and Ukraine last week. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Head of the European Council, Charles Michel, personally handed over the invitation letter, signaling their intention to strengthen ties with Ukraine and its integration into the promote block. . Since the beginning of the conflict, the EU has been the main force in providing humanitarian, military and economic support to the country.
Source: La Verdad
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