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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo/IOL
LONDON – President Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky meet with the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in his first visit to English since the invasion Russia .
He received a red carpet welcome before holding talks with the British prime minister in Downing Street, before an audience with King Charles and addressing Parliament.
It came as Britain announced a new round of sanctions targeting Russia. The latest sanctions target IT companies, as well as manufacturers of military equipment such as drones and helicopter parts.
Britain is also expanding training for Ukrainian troops to include fighter jet pilots and marines.
Plans have been announced to train Ukrainian pilots to fly standard NATO fighter jets in the future, which is a key request from Ukraine.
Western countries have been considering how to increase support for Ukraine, with the country bracing for a new Russian offensive later this month.
This expansion of the UK’s training program signals a shift, after London said it was “impractical” to send its planes to Ukraine.
Read: Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands will supply 100 Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine
Last week, a spokesman for Sunak told reporters that British military jets are very advanced and take months to learn to fly.
The UK has also announced plans to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, with Ukrainian troops receiving training on how to operate them.
