Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Zelensky meets PM Sunak in London to ‘personally thank British people’ for support

By AP 8 February 2023, 2:10 pm 0 Edit

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street in London, Feb. 8, 2023. (Victoria Jones/PA via AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives in the UK on a Royal Air Force plane at London Stansted airport north of the capital. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak greets him on the tarmac, tweeting a photo of him embracing the Ukrainian leader.

“The United Kingdom was one of the first to come to Ukraine’s aid. And today I’m in London to personally thank the British people for their support,” Zelensky says on Instagram.

Zelensky and Sunak pose briefly for photos in front of the famous black door that leads into the UK prime minister’s residence. Staff inside 10 Downing St. can be heard applauding as the Ukrainian leader enters.

At the start of the leaders’ meeting, Zelensky thanks Britain for its “big support from the first days of full-scale invasion.”

Zelensky will later address Parliament as well as meet with King Charles III and UK military chiefs during his visit.