Boris Johnson makes second surprise visit to Ukraine
Johnson proposes training program for Ukrainian soldiers to continue fight against Russia
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a second surprise visit to Kyiv Friday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The visit was first announced on the prime minister’s Twitter page and Fox News confirmed the information with Ukrainian authorities.
"Mr. President, Volodymyr, It is good to be in Kyiv again," the post to the prime minister's account said along with a photo of him and Zelenskyy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In this image provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, pose for a photo during their meeting in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, June 17, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
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Johnson’s office confirmed that the prime minister and Zelenskyy discussed "Ukraine’s valiant fight against Russia" and proposed a training program headed by the U.K. to help thousands of Ukrainian soldiers continue "their heroic defense."
Johnson said Russian forces are "taking heavy casualties" and promised "the strategic endurance that you will need."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The training operation would instruct up to 10,000 Ukrainian servicemen for three weeks every 120 days "using battle-proven British Army expertise."
The program is intended to help Kyiv "accelerate their deployment, rebuild their forces, and scale-up their resistance as they continue to defend their nation’s sovereignty against Russian invaders."
International partners would also be invited to take part in the training program.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"My visit today, in the depths of this war, is to send a clear and simple message to the Ukrainian people: the UK is with you, and we will be with you until you ultimately prevail," he said in a statement Friday. "As Ukrainian soldiers fire UK missiles in defense of your nation’s sovereignty, they do so also in defense of the very freedoms we take for granted."
In this image provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, second left, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, third right, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, June 17, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) ((Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
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Johnson’s visit comes just one day after French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis also traveled to Kyiv.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ukraine has received widespread support from Western nations following Russia’s illegal invasion in February which has prompted the greatest security threat to Europe since World War II.
Johnson’s first visit in April marked the first of the G7 nations to meet with Zelenskyy in person.
President Biden and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are the only two G7 leaders who have yet to travel to Kyiv.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News could not immediately reach the White House for comment on whether President Biden plans to travel to Ukraine in the future.
In this image provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, walk after their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, June 17, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
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Following Boris’ first trip to Ukraine in April, then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki firmly stated that the administration had no plans to send Biden to the war-torn country.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That is not in the plans for the President of the United States," Psaki said. "We should all be maybe relieved about that."