UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Thursday that London will deliver to Ukraine an additional 1,000 surface-to-air missiles and winterization material in the face of the Russian military offensive unleashed on February 24 on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
«The (British) Prime Minister applauded the courage of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and reiterated the UK’s unwavering military, economic and political support,» Downing Street said in a statement, in which it revealed that Sunak expressed his «horror» at Russia’s drone attacks on civilian areas.
Sunak had a telephone conversation with Zelenski during the day in which both agreed that a Russian withdrawal from the city of Kherson «would demonstrate the steady progress of Ukrainian forces and reinforce the weakness of the military offensive», although they stressed that «it is appropriate to remain cautious until the Ukrainian flag is raised in the city».
They also discussed «the importance of continuing coordinated international support for Ukraine» ahead of the upcoming G20 summit in Indonesia and agreed that «Russia must be held accountable for its actions and for blocking the vital delivery of Ukrainian grain and fertilizer to global markets.»
For his part, Zelenski has indicated in a message on his account on the social network Twitter that during the phone call they have talked about «multifaceted defense-level support to Ukraine to overcome the winter period». London has specified that it will deliver 25,000 equipment before the winter.
«We have also spoken in favor of the continuation of the ‘grain agreement’ and have agreed on positions on the eve of important international events,» the Ukrainian president has said, in apparent reference to the G20 summit, in which Putin will not finally take part.
Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on July 22 after mediation by Turkey and the United Nations to unblock the export of grain and fertilizers, a pact that was briefly interrupted by Moscow’s accusations against Kiev for alleged threats to the security of the corridor.
Finally, Russia announced its return to the agreement after citing Ukrainian «guarantees», which Kiev dismissed, although contacts are still underway to try to achieve an extension of the agreement, given that it expires on November 19, in the midst of the food and energy crisis due to the war.
