LONDON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy heaped praise on Boris Johnson as he gave an historic address to the U.K. parliament in a rare trip out of his country.
Zelenskyy is speaking in front of an audience of MPs, peers and journalists in Westminster Hall, the medieval heart of the British parliament, as Kyiv braces for an anticipated Russian offensive.
He said Britain “extended your helping hand” when the world did not yet know how to respond to Russia’s invasion, and paid personal tribute to Johnson, the former U.K. prime minister who was prominent in the audience gathered to watch Zelenskyy speak. “Boris, you got others united when it seemed absolutely impossible,” he said.
Zelenskyy told those gathered he was “here on behalf of every brave soldier in the trenches, on behalf of every defender of the sky, on behalf of our men who fight to restore our borders, our conscripts who are being trained now — including here, in Britain — thank you Britain.”
Recounting his first visit to London in 2020 when he sat in British wartime leader Winston Churchill’s armchair, Zelenskyy said: “I certainly felt something — but it is only now that I know what the feeling was. It is a feeling of how bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory.”
Only a handful of leaders have made such an address in Westminster Hall over the past 30 years, including Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama and, more recently, King Charles III.
The Ukrainian president arrived on a Royal Air Force plane at an airport north of London in a visit which had been a closely guarded secret until Wednesday morning.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak greeted him on the tarmac, tweeting a photo of the pair embracing.
It marks Zelenskyy’s first trip to the U.K. since Russia’s invasion almost a year ago and only his second confirmed journey outside Ukraine during the war, after visiting the United States.
The Ukrainian leader is also expected to travel to Brussels later this week, although a question mark has been placed over his visit after the plans leaked on Monday.
Zelenskyy held talks with Sunak at Downing Street before heading to speak at Westminster, as Britain announced new training programs for fighter pilots and marines.
Ahead of their meeting, Sunak announced the U.K. will now train pilots on the operation of NATO-standard fighter jets as well as marines. This comes in addition to an expansion of U.K. training Ukrainian recruits from 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers this year.
In a sign of Westminster’s broad cross-party consensus on Ukraine, Labour leader Keir Starmer said Wednesday his opposition party “doesn’t just hope for Ukraine’s victory, we believe in its victory.”
Zelenskyy has previously urged allies to send jets to Ukraine, although the U.K. along with others has cautioned that it would not be practical to provide British warplanes.
Kyiv may seek Western pledges of more advanced weapons before potential spring offensives by both Russia and Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader will also meet with King Charles III and U.K. military chiefs during his visit.
Sunak said he was “proud” to announce today’s expanded program, and that it “underlines our commitment to not just provide military equipment for the short term, but a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for years to come.”
Before Sunak took office, Zelenskyy had formed a bond with Johnson, who was one of Ukraine’s most vocal backers as prime minister. Sunak has pledged to maintain the U.K.’s support since taking over in October.
Zelenskyy previously addressed the U.K. parliament remotely last March, two weeks after the start of the invasion, echoing Winston Churchill’s famous “never surrender” speech. He vowed that Ukrainians “will fight till the end at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost.”
Hopes have been rising in Brussels that the Ukrainian leader might also make his first visit to European Union institutions since the war began.
Leaders from the 27-nation bloc will be gathering for a summit in Brussels on Thursday, which would enable Zelenskyy to meet with all major leaders in one day.
The London visit came as Russian forces blasted areas of eastern Ukraine with more artillery bombardments, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday, in what Kyiv authorities believe is part of a new push by the Kremlin’s forces before the invasion anniversary.
This developing news story is being updated.
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