David Cameron, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, made his first official trip to Ukraine as Foreign Secretary. In Kyiv, he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on November 16.
The UK’s support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression remains a top priority.
President Zelenskyy congratulated Cameron on his appointment and thanked him for choosing Kyiv as his first working visit in his new position.
“This is very important, especially now that the world is paying attention not only to the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine. We are grateful for the United Kingdom’s unwavering support for Ukraine. We are grateful for the warm welcome of Ukrainian citizens in the UK. And we are glad that you have come to Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
During the meeting, the President of Ukraine expressed appreciation for the defence cooperation with the United Kingdom, which has allowed Ukraine’s Armed Forces to defend against attacks by aggressors effectively, mainly due to long-range weapons. The Head of State emphasised that it is a top priority to strengthen the Ukrainian air defence system in preparation for the winter period to protect citizens and critical infrastructure from Russian shelling.
The two sides also discussed the security situation in the Black Sea and the further development of the alternative “grain corridor”. Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to the British government for its active support in ensuring the proper functioning of this route and for their joint efforts to introduce insurance for civilian vessels passing through it.
The parties discussed their plans for implementing joint multilateral and bilateral initiatives, focusing on promoting the Ukrainian Peace Formula and developing security guarantees in line with the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine, which the Group of Seven adopted at the NATO Summit in Vilnius. They also discussed Ukraine’s progress towards Euro-Atlantic integration and the UK’s support for Ukraine’s efforts to become a NATO member.
Cameron discussed comprehensive support for Ukraine, especially for Ukrainian exports, with PM Shmyhal.
“We created a new vessel insurance mechanism with 🇬🇧 companies. We are committed to expanding cooperation in this direction. I thanked 🇬🇧 for training 🇺🇦 military. We appreciate the unwavering support of the British government,” Shmyhal posted on Twitter.
Dmytro Kuleba posted after the meeting with David Cameron that they discussed issues related to the UK’s support of the Ukrainian defence.
The meeting “proved that Ukraine and the UK are determined to work together toward victory,” Kuleba posted.
The UK has trained 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers and provided £4.6 billion in military assistance and £240 million in bilateral assistance to support recovery.
“The UK remains steadfast in providing Ukraine with weapons, increasing their co-production, and ridding the Black Sea of Russian threats,” wrote Kuleba.
