New UK Defence Secretary Meets Zelenskyy in Kyiv
New UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps is on an official visit to Kyiv, and he has already met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Office of the President posted photos on the morning of 28 September from his meeting with Shapps but did not specify exactly when it took place.
The president thanked the United Kingdom for its strong support of Ukraine during the war, especially in regard to providing long-range missiles which have increased the capabilities of the Ukrainian army.
The Office of the President added that the politicians also discussed the issue of strengthening Ukrainian air defence, which is especially important as the winter period approaches.
The parties also noted the adoption by the Group of Seven at the NATO Summit in Vilnius of a Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine and the beginning of negotiations with the United Kingdom on the conclusion of an appropriate bilateral agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine.
Grant Shapps has been in charge of the UK’s Ministry of Defence in place of Ben Wallace since September 2023.
After the September meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (Ramstein format), Shapps promised to supply tens of thousands of artillery shells for Ukraine and also recently announced the United Kingdom’s plans to train another 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers.