British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the Ukrainian Parliament on Tuesday that it was Kyiv’s finest hour and it would emerge victorious in the ongoing war with Russia. Johnson became the first Western leader to address the war-torn nation’s parliament since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24.
“I have one message for you today: Ukraine will win, Ukraine will be free,” Johnson told Ukraine’s lawmakers via videolink.
“This is Ukraine’s finest hour, that will be remembered and recounted for generations to come,” he added, echoing the words spoken by Churchill in 1940 when Britain faced the threat of being invaded and defeated by Nazi Germany.
Johnson also saluted the country’s bravery in exploding “the myth of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s invincibility”.
The British PM has been voicing his support for Ukraine since the war began which Russia calls a “special military operation”. “The so-called irresistible force of Putin’s war machine has broken on the immovable object of Ukrainian patriotism and love of country,” Johnson further said.
In further relief for Ukraine, Johnson also announced 300 million pounds ($375 million) military aid, including electronic warfare equipment and a counter-battery radar system.
“We will carry on supplying Ukraine, alongside your other friends, with weapons, funding and humanitarian aid, until we have achieved our long-term goal, which must be so to fortify Ukraine that no-one will ever dare to attack you again.”
Johnson’s address that came a month after he met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv invited criticism from British opposition politicians, who questioned the timing of his address and said he was trying to boost his ratings ahead of local elections due on Thursday.
The British PM’s spokesperson, however, said it was not an election stunt or a way of distracting attention from scandals over gatherings in Downing Street during a strict Covid-19 lockdown.
Zelenskyy who was also present in the Ukrainian parliament paid his tribute to Johnson, saying Britain and Ukraine were now “brothers and sisters”.