The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, expressed this Sunday the hope of having “close relations” with the British prime minister who, on Tuesday, will replace Boris Johnson and thanked him for his support in the face of the war in his country.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Zelensky said it would be a priority to extend an invitation to the next British prime minister, Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak, and admitted he was worried when he learned Johnson was due to resign.
“When we learned that there would be a change of government, we were all worried,” he admitted when commenting on the resignation announced by Johnson last July, but which only became effective on Tuesday.
Likewise, in an article published in the ‘Mail on Sunday’, Zelensky highlighted support for Johnson and his leadership, commenting: “the leader is the one who communicates. The leader is the one who mediates between a country and its people, and a leader has an impact on society.”
Regarding the next ‘Tory’ leader and head of the British Government, the Ukrainian president assured that he trusts that the bilateral relationship “is at the same level” as the one he had with Boris Johnson.
“In each and every meeting and conversation we had, Boris asked a very good question: What more? What more do you need?” Zelensky recalled.
“I know it was not easy for Boris Johnson as he had to deal with many internal challenges. Prioritizing support for Ukraine required a lot of courage and determination,” he added.
In response to this praise, Johnson thanked Zelensky on his Twitter account for his “kind words” and stressed that “UK support for Ukraine and its people is unwavering.”
Zelensky also highlighted the solidarity of the United Kingdom with his country and described Foreign Minister Liz Truss and Defense Minister Ben Wallace as “friends of Ukraine.”
Johnson announced his resignation in July after several members of his government resigned, in protest at his management and the scandals that marked his leadership, specifically the Downing Street parties during the pandemic.
The new Conservative leader will be announced on Monday, before he has an audience with Queen Elizabeth II, head of state, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Tuesday.
Source: TSF
