Zelensky, Cameron talk air defense, grain corridor, Peace Formula
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine held a meeting with UK’s newly appointed Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who is on a visit to Kyiv on Thursday.
The parties discussed the strengthening of Ukraine's air defense capabilities, the safe corridor for the Ukrainian grain, and the implementation of Ukraine’s Peace Formula, the president’s press service reports.
"President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with UK’s newly appointed Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, David Cameron, who is in Ukraine on a visit," the statement reads.
The head of state congratulated David Cameron on his appointment as Foreign Secretary and thanked him for choosing Kyiv as the destination for his first working visit in the new office.
"This is very important, especially today, when the world is focusing not only to the situation on the Ukrainian battlefield. We are grateful for the unwavering support for Ukraine on the part the United Kingdom. We are grateful for the warm welcome of Ukrainian citizens in the UK. And we are glad that you came to Ukraine," Zelensky said.
The president highly praised Ukraine’s defense cooperation with the United Kingdom, which enables the Ukrainian Armed Forces to effectively defend against an aggressor’s onslaught, including due to long-range capabilities. The head of state emphasized that another important priority ahead of winter is the strengthening of the Ukrainian air defense system to protect citizens and critical infrastructure from Russian strikes.
The security situation in the Black Sea and the further operation of the alternative "grain corridor" were discussed. Zelensky thanked the British government for actively supporting the effort to sustain this route and joint efforts to introduce insurance for civilian vessels passing through it.
The parties coordinated positions on the implementation of joint multilateral and bilateral initiatives, including in the context of promoting the Ukrainian Peace Formula and developing security guarantees as a follow-up to the Joint Declaration of Ukraine Support adopted by the Group of Seven at the Vilnius NATO Summit.
Particular attention was paid to the Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, as well as UK’s support for Ukraine's progress toward NATO membership.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, since the outset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK has provided more than $1.6 billion in direct budget support, aimed at financing priority social expenditures.
The UK is expected to provide Ukraine with export financing in the amount of GBP 190 million for the purchase of nuclear fuel.