British premier discusses new support package with Ukrainian president

BIRMINGHAM, England

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of a NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Wednesday, and discussed a new support package for Kyiv.

A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said Sunak paid tribute to the “courage and bravery” of Ukraine’s Armed Forces on the front lines.

“They discussed the increasing progress of the counteroffensive, and the Prime Minister outlined a new package of UK support for Ukraine,” it added.

The meeting took place hours before the planned gathering of Group of Seven (G-7) leaders, who are going to introduce an international framework for Ukraine’s long-term security arrangements.

Sunak and Zelenskyy “agreed on the importance” of the security arrangements, which will not be “a substitute for NATO membership.”

Sunak's office said earlier in the morning that the G-7 members will sign a joint declaration outlining "how allies will support Ukraine over the coming years to end the war and deter and respond to any future attack."

“Joint Declaration signatories will provide long-term, bilateral security commitments for Ukraine, with the aim of building a Ukraine that can defend its territorial sovereignty both today and in the future,” the statement read.