At Buckingham Palace, Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelensky thanked King Charles III on Wednesday for Britain’s support for Ukrainian refugees.
“I am grateful to Her Majesty for the warm welcome and support of Ukrainian citizens who fled the war to the UK,” Zelensky said on social media.
During the meeting with Charles III, the head of state of Ukraine wished “peace and prosperity for the British people”.
“It is an honor to be the first president of Ukraine in the history of Ukrainian-British relations to be honored with an audience by the British monarch,” he said. marked.
Before meeting the monarch, the Ukrainian president spoke to the British parliament and asked for air defense reinforcements.
“We know freedom will win, we know Russia will lose and we really know that victory will change the world and this will be a change that the world has needed for a long time,” he said.
“I am here on behalf of all the fathers and mothers waiting for their brave sons and daughters to come home after the war,” he added.
The Ukrainian president emphasized the support of the United Kingdom since the start of the war in Ukraine. “London has stood by Kyiv from day one, from the first seconds and minutes of the war… It reached out when the world still didn’t know how to react.”he said, after thanking former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the MPs who “showed their courage and character then”.
Zelensky recalled that throughout their history the two countries had worked together to “enjoy peace”. “We will always conquer evil – this is the core of our and your traditions,” he stressed.
The Ukrainian president praised the United Kingdom and the United States for helping Ukraine, namely by sending weapons, sanctions and preparing a special court to try Russian war crimes, saying that this “coalition of friends” will continue in the future. will be necessary to prevent aggression in other regions.
Zelensky confessed that he longs for the day of victory, but that evil is still present. “We paid with our lives… with the lives of our heroes who risk their lives every day,” he said, adding that his meeting with King Charles III would be “a very special moment.”
“In the UK the king is an air force pilot and in the Ukraine today all air force pilots are kings,” he shot, after presenting the Speaker of the House of Commons with an air force pilot helmet before asking for more help. . “We have freedom, give us wings to protect it. I believe this symbol will help us in our next coalition, the aircraft coalition… wings to freedom.”
After London, Volodymyr Zelensky is expected in Paris on Wednesday evening for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. According to the French newspaper Le Monde, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also be present.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian president will attend the European Council in Brussels.
Source: DN
