Ukraine's Zelenskiy in UK seeking combat aircraft
STORY: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy landed in the United Kingdom on Wednesday, embraced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the airfield. The two then sped to 10 Downing Street to set the tone for the visit: Ukraine's desperate need for heavy weapons ahead of an expected Russian winter offensive.
ZELENSKIY AND SUNAK ENTERING ROOM, SHAKING HANDS / SUNAK SAYING (English): ''It's a privilege to have you here Volodomyr we want to stand by you throughout this conflict and ensure that you're victorious.''
ZELENSKIY REPLYING (English): ''Thank you so much Rishi for inviting me..."
It's a rare trip abroad for the Ukrainian leader in the midst of a war. Many expected Zelenskiy to flee for his life after Russian forces stormed into his country last year. But he remained in Kyiv, a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, as his fighters first blunted Moscow's onslaught, and then began to roll back the Russian advance.
Zelenskiy is known to have left his country only once since the invasion: to visit Washington in an appeal for weapons and support. He's now in London for the same purpose.
He spoke to the British Parliament, thanking them for providing Kyiv with arms and training.
ZELENSKIY:
"We know Russia will lose...
And he upped his request for hardware, seeking combat jets. The UK is already training Ukrainian pilots in advanced fighter aircraft, but London has not said whether or not they'd provide the planes along with the instruction.
Zelenskiy toured a UK military base where Ukrainian soldiers were learning to operate British Challenger tanks. These are but some of the western weapons in the pipeline: Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands are planning to send more than 100 Leopard 1 tanks to Kyiv. Germany's defense minister on Wednesday said a battalion of more-modern Leopard 2 tanks would go to Ukraine in the first three to four months of the year.
Zelenskiy's visit to the UK, including a meeting with King Charles and Buckingham Palace, comes a day after ominous warning from the battlefield.
Ukraine's national security chief Oleksiy Danilov told reporters this week Russian forces were likely to attack in Zaporizhzhia in the south, and possibly make a new push in the eastern Kharkiv region as well.
Danilov said he expected Russia needed to show territorial gains as the one-year anniversary of what Moscow calls a "special military operation" approaches on February 24, after a year of humiliating military setbacks.
And while Danilov said Western tanks were helpful, the country faced a pressing shortage of ammunition, particularly 155 mm shells... telling reporters, "Because if you have weapons, but nothing to fire, then this is a challenge."
