“It is an honor for me to be the first President of Ukraine in the history of Ukrainian-British relations to be honored by the British monarch with an audience,” he added. Zelensky said in a Telegram post following his audience with the King that he congratulated King Charles “on his recent accession to the throne and wished peace and prosperity to the British people.” In his speech in Westminster Hall, Zelensky expressed gratitude to British parliamentarians for supporting Ukraine. Later, he traveled to Buckingham Palace to meet King Charles III, who told Zelensky: “We’ve all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long, I can’t tell you.” “Welcome to the UK, President reads the caption, adding the hashtag #GlorytoUkraine. Sunak tweeted a picture of the pair embracing on the runway. Sunak greeted Zelensky at Stansted Airport, north of London, after he landed aboard a UK Royal Air Force C-17 transport plane. He later traveled Paris on Wednesday evening local time, where he was greeted at the Elysee Palace by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.ĭuring a joint press conference, Zelensky said he was “thankful for the spontaneous idea for us to meet and talk” adding that “France and Germany have the potential to be game changers… the sooner Ukraine manages to get long range weapons and modern planes, the stronger our coalitions will be.” Zelensky touched down in Britain a time when Kyiv is urging the West to send more weapons and military support to counter Russian advances. “Thank you.” Then, addressing the wider audience, he said: “You, all of you, you all showed your grit and character back then. “Boris, you got others united when it seemed absolutely, absolutely impossible,” Zelensky said. He also name-checked former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, an early and steadfast supporter. He thanked the British leader – “Rishi” – who had earlier announced that the UK would begin training Ukrainian pilots on NATO-standard fighter jets. Zelensky’s message was directed firmly at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and members of the Cabinet standing in front of him in the historic surroundings of Westminster Hall – the oldest part of of the Palace of Westminster, where the late Queen Elizabeth lay in state and where US President Obama stood for a similar address in 2011. Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle is presented with a pilot's helmet by President Zelensky.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |