KYIV (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for assurances that Britain would maintain its support for Kyiv in its war against Russia.
Zelenskiy, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said he had spoken to Starmer by telephone and wished him “success in fulfilling the expectations the British people”.
“I am grateful to Keir Starmer for his assurances that Britain’s support for Ukraine will remain unchanged in principle,” Zelenskiy wrote.
He and Starmer, he said, had “coordinated our positions” ahead of next week’s NATO summit at which Ukraine hopes to hear of possible steps for Kyiv to secure membership of the Alliance.
Zelenskiy said he looked forward to starting preparations on a long-term agreement between their two countries.
The Ukrainian president had earlier issued a message on X offering congratulations on Starmer’s election victory and saying he was looking forward to working together on international peace and security.
“Ukraine and the United Kingdom have been and will continue to be reliable allies through thick and thin. We will continue to defend and advance our common values of life, freedom, and a rules-based international order,” Zelenskiy wrote.
He also thanked outgoing Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for his steadfast support, saying “Ukraine will never forget” achievements which included signing a bilateral security cooperation agreement.
(Reporting by Anastasiia Malenko, Editing by William Maclean, Ron Popeski and Alistair Bell)
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