Mr Zelensky, dressed in his trademark olive-green top, was hugged by the PM after disembarking from a military transport plane at Stansted Airport, located north of London.
Downing Street said the surprise visit would see Mr Zelensky meet the PM, visit Ukrainian troops and address Parliament at around 1pm – before meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace this afternoon.
It comes after Rishi Sunak announced plans to train Ukrainian pilots, paving the way for them eventually being able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard jets, a key request from Mr Zelensky.
Mr Sunak said: “President Zelenskyy’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.”
Read our Ukraine war blog below for the latest news…
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Zelensky leaves No.10 for Parliament
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Zelensky says it’s an ‘honour’ to visit the UK
Volodymyr Zelensky said it was a “great honour” to be visiting the UK as he thanked the country for its support.
Speaking in No 10’s White Room ahead of bilateral talks with Rishi Sunak, the Ukrainian President said: “Thank you so much Rishi for inviting me and for me great honour to be here in Britain.
“And thanks Britain for society first of all for your big support from the first days of full-scale invasion.
“Thank you so much. We are proud really and we have very good relations with Rishi.”
Mr Zelensky added that the two leaders would continue their dialogue which he said was “very important for security of our country and of the course the security for the world”.
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Ukraine special forces wait outside Downing Street
Credit: Reuters
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Zelensky hails Britain as ‘one of the first’ countries to aid Ukraine
Mr Zelensky hailed Britain as “one of the first” countries to support Ukraine after Russia invaded, on his first visit to London since the war broke out nearly a year ago.
He posted: “The United Kingdom was one of the first to come to Ukraine’s aid.
“And today I’m in London to personally thank the British people for their support and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for his leadership.”
The hero Ukrainian leader has just entered Downing Street after landing at Stansted Aiport approximately an hour ago.
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BREAKING: Zelensky arrives at Downing Street
The hero president waved to cameras as he posed with Mr Sunak on the doorstep of No.10.
Mr Zelensky did not answer calls from reporters outside Downing Street on a range of issues such as fighter jets and military aid.
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UK ‘wants to support Ukraine’s defensive needs’ through pilot training
The expansion of the UK’s training programme to include jet fighter pilots is significant as Mr Zelensky has been urging Western nations to supply planes.
The UK has so far refused, arguing that the RAF’s F-35 and Typhoon jets take too long for pilots to train on.
But the announcement by No 10 signals a shift for the future, and officials said that “as part of that long-term capability investment” the UK will work with Ukraine and international allies “to co-ordinate collective support to meet Ukraine’s defensive needs”.
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Pilot training part of the Government’s ‘two-pronged approach’ to military aid
Ukrainian pilots are to be trained by the UK to fly sophisticated Nato fighter planes in the latest show of support for Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces.
The UK will also offer an intermediate training programme for Ukrainian marines and has promised an “immediate surge” of military equipment including longer-range weapons.
The latest announcements came as President Zelensky made his first visit to the UK since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Downing Street said the Government is following a “two-pronged” approach, with more military kit now to counter a spring offensive by Russia, with long-term support for the future.
Although Ukraine is desperate for fighter jets immediately to counter the Russian air force, the length of the required training means that No 10 has said the pilot programme is a “long-term capability investment”.
The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated Nato-standard fighter jets in the future.
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Red carpet rolled out for President Zelenksy at Downing Street
President Zelenksy is on his way to Downing Street after meeting the PM at Stansted Airport.
Outside No.10, media is gathering and a red -carpet is being laid out on the doorstep if the world-famous residence.
Mr Zelenksy is due to address Parliament at 1pm, after Prime Minister’s Questions.
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Cleverly: Ukraine will ‘not break under tyrannical invasion’
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “Ukraine has shown Putin that it will not break under his tyrannical invasion. He has responded by indiscriminately striking civilian areas and critical national infrastructure across the country.
“We cannot let him succeed. We must increase our support.”
He added: “These new sanctions accelerate the economic pressure on Putin – undermining his war machine to help Ukraine prevail. I am determined, consistent with our laws, that Russia will have no access to the assets we have frozen until it ends, once and for all, its threats to Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty and integrity.”
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Foreign Secretary announces fresh wave of sanctions against Russia
Britain’s foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has announced a fresh round of sanctions against the Russian military and some Kremlin figures, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky makes a visit to the UK.
The sanctions package hits six entities the Foreign Office said provided military equipment such as drones to the Russia government, as well as eight individuals and one entity linked to Russian financial networks.
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Rishi hugs Zelensky as he lands in UK
Zelensky, dressed in his trademark olive-green top, was hugged by Sunak after disembarking from a military transport plane at Stansted airport north of London.
The UK government said it would offer advanced training for Ukrainian fighter jet pilots and marines, as Western allies debate stepping up military aid for Kyiv against a feared Russian offensive in the east.
After London, EU officials hope Zelensky will visit Brussels on Thursday, in the buildup to the one-year anniversary on February 24.
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Rishi Sunak welcomes Zelensky at Stansted Airport
Rishi Sunak greeted Volodymyr Zelensky as the Ukrainian president arrived in the UK.
The PM tweeted a picture of the pair greeting each other.
In the image, Mr Sunak is seen embracing his Ukrainian counterpart at Stansted Airport.“Welcome to the UK, President Zelensky,” he tweeted.
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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives in UK
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday arrived in the UK, television images showed.
The surprise visit marks his second overseas trip since the Russian invasion of his country.
Sky News and BBC images showed his motorcade leaving an aircraft after arrival at Stansted airport, northeast of London.
Zelensky is due to meet King Charles III during his visit, Buckingham Palace said. He will also hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and address parliament.
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The King to meet with Zelensky
Buckingham Palace released a statement saying King Charles will hold an audience with Volodymyr Zelensky later today.
The audience between the King and President Zelensky will take place at Buckingham Palace this afternoon.
Mr Zelensky will be greeted in the Palace quadrangle before being taken to meet the monarch inside the royal residence.
The Ukrainian president is visiting the UK for the first time since the war against the illegal Russian invasion started almost a year ago.
During the trip he will also address parliament, speak with prime minister Rishi Sunak and meet with Ukrainian soldiers being trained by British armed forces.
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Zelensky thanks the Norwegian government
Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday sent his thanks to the Norwegian government for announcing a £6bn aid package.
He said: “Grateful to the Norwegian people, government & personally @jonasgahrstore for announcing a new unprecedented 5-year assistance package to Ukraine for the sum of NOK 75 billion.
“It is a significant contribution to our future victory over the aggressor & successful post-war recovery.”
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SNP MP Stewart McDonald claims that his emails were hacked by Russian group
MP Stewart McDonald told BBC that his emails were stolen and fears that they’ll be made public.
He said that the hack happened in January and he believes that the group responsible is linked to Russian spy services.
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Paris Mayor doesn’t want Russian delegation for the Olympics
The mayor of Paris, anna Hidalgo, told France Info that she wants no Russian delegation at the Olympics next year as long as the Ukraine war goes on.
Ms Hidalgo said: “As long as there is this war, this aggression (of) Russia on Ukraine, it is not possible to parade as if nothing had happened, to have a delegation come to Paris, while the bombs continue to rain down on Ukraine.”
“In fact, (a neutral banner), it doesn’t really exist because sometimes there are athletes who are dissidents. They march and compete under the refugee banner.
“The neutral banner was a subject of doping and that was the choice they had made. I am not in favour of that option. I would find that totally indecent.”
“I will speak before, because we still have a little time before deciding.”
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More sanctions on Russia by the UK expected to be announced
Downing Street said that an announcement on further sanctions against Russia is expected today.
These will target those who “helped Putin build his personal wealth, and companies who are profiting from the Kremlin’s war machine.”
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What did Rishi Sunak say about Zelensky’s visit
Downing Street broke the news that President Zelensky will arrive in the UK today to meet with PM Rishi Sunak.
The British Prime Minister said: “President Zelensky’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.”
Downing Street said that the UK “will offer to bolster its training offer for Ukrainian troops, including expanding it to fighter jet pilots…
“The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated NATO-standard fighter jets in the future.”
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President Zelensky to land in UK today
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is arriving in the UK today to meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian troops.
This will be the President’s first visit to the UK since Russia invaded Ukraine.
One other trip he made since the invasion was the one before Christmas when he visited the United States and Poland.
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Russia: EU ‘exemptions’ show that Russian oil is still in demand
Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Alexander Novak, said that the European Union’s decision to add “exemption” to its price cap on oil products simply showed that Russian oil is still in demand.
Mr Novak said, as per the state-run TASS news agency: “Yesterday we saw another change to the European Union’s regulations, the exemptions.
“This once again emphasises that our oil products are in demand in Europe, once European politicians indicated that their actions defy any logic and take such decisions and think how to get out of this situation.”
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UK Intelligence update on Ukraine War
The UK’s Ministry of Defence gave its latest update on the war between Russia and Ukraine, focusing on Dnipro – from which Russia withdrew its troops in November 2022.
UK Intelligence explained that both Ukrainian and Russian forces are likely to keep troops there to overlook maritime access.
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Ukraine withdraws 19 million books from Soviet era
Ukraine has withdrawn over 19 million copies of books that came either from the Soviet era or were in Russian, a senior lawmaker has said.
Yevheniya Kravchuk, deputy head of the Ukrainian parliament’s committee on humanitarian and information policy claimed 11 million of the copies were in Russian according to Reuters.
“Some Ukrainian-language books from the Soviet era are also written off,” Kravchuk said according to a statement published on the website of the Verkhovna Rada, the country’s parliament.
“There are also recommendations to write off and remove books whose authors supported armed aggression against Ukraine.”
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Germany gathers war crime evidence
German prosecutor Peter Frank told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper that his nation has collected evidence of war crimes in Ukraine – having begun doing so in March 2022.
He said: “Currently, for example, we are focusing on the mass killings in Bucha or attacks against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.”
Mr Frank said that they have evidence in the “three-digit range” which was collected through a series of methods such as interviewing Ukrainian refugees and evaluating the information available to the public.
No specific individual is being investigated by Germany yet.
