Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to address UK parliament

LONDON - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is coming to London to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and address parliament on Wednesday February 8 at a time when Kyiv wants the West to give more weapons to help it drive Russian forces out.

Zelenskyy will arrive in London for only his second foreign visit since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, after Sunak pledged to expand the training of Ukrainian troops to include fighter jet pilots and marines.

Britain said the training would ensure Ukrainian pilots were able to fly sophisticated NATO-standard fighter jets in the future. Western countries have scaled up their military support for Ukraine since the start of the new year, but have so far refused to deliver the fighter jets Kyiv asked for.

Sunak said that President Zelenskyy's visit to the UK is a testament to his country's courage, determination and fight, and a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries.

I am proud that we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots to ensure that Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future. Britain will set out additional sanctions later on Wednesday to target those who helped Russian President Vladimir Putin build his personal wealth, and companies that are profiting from the Kremlin's war machine, the statement said.

Zelenskyy, who had close ties with the ex-prime minister Boris Johnson, visits Britain at a time when Russia is trying to break through Ukrainian defences in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine's allies promised hundreds of tanks and armoured vehicles to help Kyiv resist the assault and recapture territory, but they have said it will take time to train Ukrainian forces to use them effectively.

Since Johnson resigned last year, Sunak has pledged to continue to support Ukraine, visiting Kyiv in November to tell the Ukrainian leader: We are with you all the way. He is expected to tell Zelenskyy that he will speed up the delivery of military equipment to Ukraine.

Britain has trained 10,000 Ukrainian troops brought to battle readiness in the last six months and will upskill another 20,000 soldiers this year, the government said.

The statement said that Ukrainian troops arrived in Britain last week to learn how to command Challenger 2 tanks and Sunak and that they will provide Ukraine with longer range capabilities.

London has so far refused to deliver fighter jets, saying it was not the right approach for now. Defence Minister Ben Wallace has suggested that stance could change.

A new US package of weapons is expected to contain longer-range rockets, which would give Ukraine the ability to hit Russian supply lines in all of the territory it occupies in Ukraine's mainland and parts of the Crimea Peninsula.