UK promises more aid to Ukraine as Zelensky visits London

Britain pledged to provide Ukraine with more military resources on Monday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s multistop lobbying tour included a meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Sunak committed to providing Ukraine with hundreds of more air defense missiles, as well as attack drones.

“This is a crucial moment in Ukraine’s resistance to a terrible war of aggression they did not choose or provoke,” he said. “They need the sustained support of the international community to defend against the barrage of unrelenting and indiscriminate attacks that have been their daily reality for over a year.”

Zelensky’s stop in Britain comes after he made appearances in Italy, France and Germany during his latest European trip. The Ukrainian leader thanked the U.K. for its support.

“Thank you very much for this package that you’ve prepared — great, huge,” Zelensky told Sunak. “Really what can save the lives for all our people.”

On his latest European trip, Zelensky also secured more support from Germany, which had been facing criticism for its level of backing of Ukraine.

The military assistance package from Berlin is expected to top $3 billion, making the country the second-largest backer of Ukraine in the war, behind the U.S.

The trip to the U.K. was Zelensky’s second since the start of the war. 

Moscow blasted the British military support package for Ukraine on Monday, with a Kremlin spokesperson saying the weapons would not alter the course of the war.

“Britain aspires to be at the forefront among countries that continue to pump weapons into Ukraine,” Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, said Monday, according to the Associated Press. “We repeat once again, it cannot yield any drastic and fundamental influence on the way the special military operation is unfolding. But, definitely, it leads to further destruction, further action. … It makes this whole story for Ukraine much more complicated.”