Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomes the UK's Foreign Secretary David Cameron before their meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released 16 November 2023;
Credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters
KYIV (Reuters) - The United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary David Cameron travelled to wartime Kyiv and met President Volodymyr Zelensky for talks on his first working trip abroad, the Ukrainian leader said on Thursday 16 November 2023.
Former Prime Minister Cameron, who was named as the United Kingdom's new foreign minister on Monday 13 November 2023, said in a video posted by Zelensky's office that he wanted to underscore London's support for Ukraine.
Zelensky said he was grateful for the gesture, which comes amid a conflict in the Middle East that he said had drawn global attention away from Ukraine's war with Russia, which is now in its 21st month and with no end in sight.
"The world is not so focused on the battlefield situation in Ukraine, and this dividing of the focus really does not help," he said.
The United Kingdom has been a close ally of Ukraine throughout the full-scale war launched by Russia in February 2022.
"What I want to say by being here is that we will continue to give you the moral support, the diplomatic support... but above all the military support that you need not just this year and next year, but however long it takes," Cameron said.
He added that the UK would work with its allies "to make sure the attention is here in Ukraine".
The Ukrainian statement did not say when the talks took place. Strict security measures in place because of the war mean details of visits by foreign dignitaries are sometimes released only sometime after they have happened.
