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U.K.'s Boris Johnson visits Kyiv to stand with Ukraine and Putin remarks on tensions

Joanna Kakissis

Charles Maynes

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson flew to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In Moscow, Russian President Putin made his first public remarks on the crisis since late 2021.

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• International

US Jobs report

Russia's war in Ukraine

Hunter Biden's gun trial

August 24, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Jessie Yeung , Kathleen Magramo , Josh Berlinger, Aditi Sangal and Adrienne Vogt , CNN

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is visiting Ukraine on the 6-month anniversary of the invasion

From CNN's Benjamin Brown and Ivana Kottasová

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in Kyiv to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day, Downing Street said via Twitter Wednesday.

Today marks 31 years since Ukraine voted for independence from the Soviet Union. It is also the six-month anniversary of Russia's invasion.

Johnson has been one of the most vocal supporters of Ukraine as it tries to defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked assault, and the trip on Wednesday was his third visit to the Ukrainian capital since the war started in late February.

He became one of the first foreign leaders to make the precarious trip to the Ukrainian capital in late April, then returned on another surprise visit in June.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on his Telegram channel : "I am happy to meet Boris Johnson, a great friend of Ukraine, on Independence Day." 

"Boris, thank you for the uncompromising support for our country from the first days of the full-scale Russian aggression, for steadfastly defending the interests of Ukraine in the international arena! Ukraine is lucky to have such a friend!"

Analysis: Europe supplied weapons to Ukraine for 6 months — but recession fears could test that support

Analysis from CNN's Luke McGee

As Russia's war in Ukraine reaches the six-month mark, officials across Europe are worried that the Western consensus to supply arms to Ukraine could fall apart amid the real possibility of economic recession.

The continent is now facing a bleak winter of rising food prices, limited energy to heat homes, and a growing fuel crisis.

Western officials and diplomats spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity to candidly describe sensitive conservations among governments.

"At the start ... it was politically quite easy to rally behind Ukraine and make the case for donating weapons and cash," a NATO official told CNN. "Over time, the types of weapons we are sending have got more complicated, as has the training required to use them effectively." "The good news is, these arms are helping the Ukrainians hold out. The bad news is, the longer the war goes on, the shorter on supply these weapons will be."

War fatigue: On top of the economic and military costs, there is also serious concern that war fatigue could influence foreign governments' contributions as the conflict stagnates.

"Back in February, it was easy to jump on the anti-Putin bandwagon. Now the war is in the boring strategic stage. There are fewer daily gains and losses and there are fewer photo opportunities," according to a NATO diplomat.

Of course, this won't be as straightforward as countries simply withdrawing their support. But it might involve countries changing the parameters of exactly what outcome they support.

Shifting end game: Some Western European countries, most notably Germany and France, have said publicly that dialogue will have to exist between the West and Moscow.

"Do we all still have the same view of the end game? Is it just getting back to the borders of before Russia invaded? Or is it back to pre-2014, before Russia annexed Crimea? And will we deal with Putin after the war or will he need to stand down?" a European diplomat said.

Read the full analysis here .

World leaders send messages marking Ukrainian Independence Day 

From CNN's Niamh Kennedy

Leaders from around the globe marked this year's Ukrainian Independence Day and pledged continued support amid Russia's invasion via messages on Twitter:

US President Joe Biden

President of the European Council Charles Michel

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith

Biden marks Ukraine's Independence Day with $2.98 billion security assistance announcement

From CNN's Betsy Klein

US President Joe Biden marked Ukraine’s Independence Day Wednesday by reiterating the United States' commitment to Ukraine — six months after Russia began its invasion — with a new $2.98 billion investment in security assistance.

“I am proud to announce our biggest tranche of security assistance to date: approximately $2.98 billion of weapons and equipment to be provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. This will allow Ukraine to acquire air defense systems, artillery systems and munitions, counter-unmanned aerial systems, and radars to ensure it can continue to defend itself over the long term,” Biden said in a statement Wednesday.

Because this package falls under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), it will not be drawn from existing US inventories. Instead, it will come from contracts with arms manufacturers, according to a US official. 

Last week, the US announced a $775 million package that included HIMARS and 105mm howitzer ammo, anti-armor missiles, mine-clearing capabilities and more. That package came through Presidential Drawdown Authority, which means it will be pulled directly from US stocks.

Biden also congratulated the people of Ukraine on 31 years of independence, noting that the country has “inspired the world,” and added that the US “looks forward to continuing to celebrate Ukraine as a democratic, independent, sovereign and prosperous state for decades to come.”

CNN's Oren Liebermann and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.

Portugal's foreign minister pledges support to Kyiv as he arrives in Ukraine 

From CNN's Radina Gigova

Portugal's Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho has arrived in Kyiv as Ukraine marks its Independence Day on Wednesday.

"It’s an honour and a privilege to be here on such a significant day for Ukraine. Count on Portugal’s full solidarity and support!" he tweeted .

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also tweeted about Cravinho's visit .

"On Independence Day, I welcomed Portuguese Foreign Minister @JoaoCravinho in Kyiv. Grateful to Portugal for consistently supporting Ukraine. We stand united to stop Russia from attacking not only Ukraine, but all of Europe — with energy blackmail, rising prices, and propaganda," he said.

Ukrainian leaders honor fallen soldiers on the country's Independence Day

Ukraine's Independence Day this year is a somber one, with President Volodymyr Zelensky, first lady Olena Zelenska and other dignitaries paying tribute to those who have been killed in military action since Russia invaded the country six months ago.

Analysis: Rising inflation in Europe will challenge the West's resolve in Ukraine war

For all that the West can reasonably pat itself on the back for its initial response to the crisis, things are about to get much harder.

Across Europe, citizens are starting to feel the cost-of-living crunch across the continent — which comes as many European countries have already played host to thousands of Ukrainian refugees.

Against this backdrop, it is hard for political leaders to justify spending money and energy supporting a country far away, especially when some of their citizens may feel that they've been generous enough as it is.

Multiple Western officials told CNN of their concern that at some point, political leaders might decide the best thing is to broker for a peace deal and undercut the Ukrainian preferred end game, which is forcing Russian forces back to the previous borders.

"There is growing concern in some quarters that if Ukraine appears to be losing ground to Russia this may accelerate calls for a negotiated settlement," Theresa Fallon, director at the Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies, told CNN. "As soon as people sense that (Kyiv) is on the losing side, they may start to ask, 'why do we continue to supply costly weapons to Ukraine at a time of economic stress?' 'Why are we throwing good money after bad?'"

Political upheaval in the West: This will be critical, she pointed out, as many key allies also go through turbulent political periods at home. Italy will hold an election, the United Kingdom will have a new Prime Minister and the United States will hold midterm elections that may determine the rest of  President Joe Biden 's first term in office.

Most officials acknowledge that no one has a clue on how this conflict ends. And while most would like to see Ukraine achieve its goals of standing up to Putin and forcing him out of their country, their true resolve has yet to be fully tested.

June was the first month that the UK didn't import fuel from Russia

From CNN's Benjamin Brown in London

Data from the UK's Office for National Statistics shows that June marked the first month on record in which the United Kingdom did not import any fuel from Russia

Britain vowed in March to phase out all imports of Russian oil by the end of the year , shortly after the invasion of Ukraine, in the hopes that the move would help choke Moscow of a key revenue stream it needs to keep its economy afloat and its war effort humming along.

Russia was the UK's largest supplier of refined oil in 2021, accounting for 24.1% of all imports. Moscow also supplied 5.9% of the UK's crude oil and 4.9% of the the country's gas imports.

The national statistics office said that there were no imports of refined oil, crude oil, gas or coal, coke and briquettes from Russia

Imports down too: June also marked the lowest level of Russian imports to the UK since records began in 1997, falling to $39 million from more than $2 billion in January 2022.

While sanctions likely contributed to the plummeting number of Russian goods heading to the UK, authorities said "self-sanctioning, whereby traders voluntarily seek alternatives to Russian goods," may have also contributed to the decline.

Nearly 1,000 children have been killed or injured in Russia's war in Ukraine, according to UNICEF

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

At least 972 children have been killed or injured since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, according to UNICEF.

“And these are just the figures the UN has been able to verify. We believe the true number to be much higher," UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said in a statement .

Russell pointed to the deep distress that many children across Ukraine may be experiencing in the wake of violence, plus the devastation the war has brought on the country's education system.

"The start of the school year in just over a week’s time is a stark reminder of how much children in Ukraine have lost. Ukraine’s education system has been devastated by the escalation of hostilities across the country. Schools have been targeted or used by parties, resulting in families not feeling safe to send their children to school," she said Monday.

Russell called for a ceasefire, saying children need safety, stability, and support. "All children need to be in school and learning, including children caught up in emergencies," she said. "But more than anything, Ukraine’s children need peace."

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• International

PM call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine: 5 June 2024

The Prime Minister spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this afternoon.

The Prime Minister spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this afternoon. 

The Prime Minister began by reaffirming the UK’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine in its fight against Putin’s illegal and brutal invasion. 

The leaders reflected on the intensification of Russia’s bombardment in Kharkiv, and the Prime Minister underlined that the UK remains steadfast in its support.  

The Prime Minister reiterated that now more than ever it is vital that the international community continue to support Ukraine. He said that he looked forward to discussing this at the G7 next week and ensured UK support for the upcoming Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland. 

They both agreed to remain in touch and looked forward to speaking soon.

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British prime minister visits Ukraine to give aid and reassurances of West's support against Russia

Aptopix russia ukraine war britain.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled new military funding for Ukraine on Friday during a visit to Kyiv aimed at reassuring the country that the West is still providing support nearly 23 months after Russia’s invasion .

The package, worth 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2 billion) over the next fiscal year, is the largest the U.K. has given to Ukraine since the war began, surpassing previous annual commitments by 200 million pounds ($233 million), the British government said.

“I am here today with one message: The U.K. will ... not falter,” Sunak said. “We will stand with Ukraine, in their darkest hours and in the better times to come.”

The package will pay for long-range missiles, thousands of drones, air defense, artillery ammunition and maritime security, according to Sunak's office. It comes at a time when other financial aid from the U.S. and Europe is tied up by political wrangling,

“We are not walking away,” Sunak said at a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian officials welcomed the U.K. announcement, pointing to it as evidence that Western support for its fight against its bigger neighbor is not waning, as some have feared.

“This is a signal to the world: Ukraine is not alone,” Zelenskyy said.

Sunak and Zelenskyy signed a bilateral security agreement for the next 10 years. It will remain in effect until Ukraine acquires its hoped-for NATO membership, Zelenskyy said. Details of the agreement are to be released later, officials said.

Kyiv has been urging the West to send more of the kind of aid the U.K. is providing as the grinding war brings little change along the front line and both sides turn to long-range strikes.

Sunak said he made Ukraine his first foreign trip of the year to send a “strong signal” of support, representing "the seriousness of the situation here and our determination to stand with Ukraine” amid competing claims for international attention.

Russian President Vladimir Putin “needs to recognize we’re not going anywhere,” he said.

“We are here for Ukraine to win,” said Sunak, who noted that supporting Kyiv was a way to protect global security. “If Putin wins in Ukraine, he will not stop there.”

Sunak’s visit came hours after the British and U.S. militaries bombed Yemen, hitting more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis .

Thursday’s strikes were a reminder of another war, which has raged for years in the Arab world’s poorest nation. The attack also risked triggering a wider regional conflict over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Those concerns have drawn attention away from Ukraine’s struggle — a shift that Zelenskyy is trying to counter through diplomacy.

Sunak first visited Ukraine in November 2022, soon after he became prime minister, and Britain is one of Ukraine's most vocal backers. It is the second-biggest donor of military aid to Ukraine after the U.S., giving a total of 4.6 billion pounds ($5.8 billion) in 2022 and 2023.

Ukraine and Russia are seeking to replenish their arsenals this year, military analysts say, in anticipation of possible major ground offensives in 2025.

Sunak said the U.K. aid is the biggest single package from any nation for drones, which have become a key battlefield weapon .

The roughly 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line has been largely static during winter, and both Ukraine and Russia need artillery shells, missiles and drones that enable longer-range strikes.

Ukraine says Moscow is receiving artillery shells and missiles from North Korea and drones from Iran. On Jan. 4, the White House cited U.S. intelligence officials as saying that Russia acquired ballistic missiles from North Korea and is seeking them from Iran.

Zelenskyy is pushing Kyiv’s Western allies to provide more support on top of the billions of dollars in military aid the country has already received.

He visited Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia this week in search of new pledges. The Baltic countries are among Kyiv’s staunchest supporters, and they promised more missiles, drones, howitzers and artillery shells.

Zelenskyy has warned that Ukraine particularly needs air defense systems. Recent Russian barrages — more than 500 drones and missiles were fired between Dec. 29 and Jan. 2, according to officials in Kyiv — are using up Ukraine’s resources and leaving it vulnerable.

Sunak said that the U.K. recognizes that Ukrainian security “is our security,” as Kyiv's forces stand up to Putin.

“Today we are going further — increasing our military aid, delivering thousands of cutting-edge drones, and signing a historic new security agreement to provide Ukraine with the assurances it needs for the long term,” he said.

A plan by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to send $60 billion in new funding to Kyiv is being held up in Congress . Europe’s pledge in March to provide 1 million artillery shells within 12 months also has fallen short , with only about 300,000 delivered by the end of last year.

Associated Press writers Danica Kirka and Pan Pylas in London contributed.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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U.K. PM Sunak meets with Zelenskyy on surprise trip to Ukraine, pledges support

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak paid an unannounced visit Saturday to Ukraine’s snow-blanketed war-time capital for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who described the two countries as “the strongest of allies.”

Zelenskyy posted a video of the meeting in Kyiv and said “we discussed the most important issues both for our countries and for global security.”

“Together we are stronger and we will achieve the desired results,” he said on Telegram. His post gave no other details.

The video Zelenskyy posted showed him greeting Sunak at a presidential palace as snowflakes fell and the two men holding talks.

Sunak tweeted: “Britain knows what it means to fight for freedom. We are with you all the way @ZelenskyyUa.”

The U.K. has been one of the staunchest Western supporters of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s invasion, giving Kyiv 2.3 billion pounds ($2.7 billion) in military aid.

Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who stepped down in July amid a welter of ethics scandals, won wide praise in Ukraine for his backing.

Sunak is keen to reassure Ukraine’s leaders that there will be no change of stance under his leadership, though when he was U.K. Treasury chief under Johnson he was considered resistant to demands for higher defense spending.

British prime minister visits Ukraine to give aid and reassurances of West's support against Russia

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled new military funding for Ukraine on Friday during a visit to Kyiv aimed at reassuring the country that the West is still providing support nearly 23 months after Russia’s invasion.

The package, worth 2.5 billion pounds (US$3.2 billion) over the next fiscal year, is the largest the U.K. has given to Ukraine since the war began, surpassing previous annual commitments by 200 million pounds (US$233 million), the British government said.

• Read more of the latest international headlines

“I am here today with one message: The U.K. will ... not falter,” Sunak said. “We will stand with Ukraine, in their darkest hours and in the better times to come.”

The package will pay for long-range missiles, thousands of drones, air defence, artillery ammunition and maritime security, according to Sunak's office. It comes at a time when other financial aid from the U.S. and Europe is tied up by political wrangling,

“We are not walking away,” Sunak said at a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian officials welcomed the U.K. announcement, pointing to it as evidence that Western support for its fight against its bigger neighbour is not waning, as some have feared.

“This is a signal to the world: Ukraine is not alone,” Zelenskyy said.

Sunak and Zelenskyy signed a bilateral security agreement for the next 10 years. It will remain in effect until Ukraine acquires its hoped-for NATO membership, Zelenskyy said. Details of the agreement are to be released later, officials said.

Kyiv has been urging the West to send more of the kind of aid the U.K. is providing as the grinding war brings little change along the front line and both sides turn to long-range strikes.

Sunak said he made Ukraine his first foreign trip of the year to send a “strong signal” of support, representing "the seriousness of the situation here and our determination to stand with Ukraine” amid competing claims for international attention.

Russian President Vladimir Putin “needs to recognize we’re not going anywhere,” he said.

“We are here for Ukraine to win,” said Sunak, who noted that supporting Kyiv was a way to protect global security. “If Putin wins in Ukraine, he will not stop there.”

Sunak’s visit came hours after the British and U.S. militaries bombed Yemen, hitting more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis.

Thursday’s strikes were a reminder of another war, which has raged for years in the Arab world’s poorest nation. The attack also risked triggering a wider regional conflict over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Those concerns have drawn attention away from Ukraine’s struggle — a shift that Zelenskyy is trying to counter through diplomacy.

Sunak first visited Ukraine in November 2022, soon after he became prime minister, and Britain is one of Ukraine's most vocal backers. It is the second-biggest donor of military aid to Ukraine after the U.S., giving a total of 4.6 billion pounds (US$5.8 billion) in 2022 and 2023.

Ukraine and Russia are seeking to replenish their arsenals this year, military analysts say, in anticipation of possible major ground offensives in 2025.

Sunak said the U.K. aid is the biggest single package from any nation for drones, which have become a key battlefield weapon.

The roughly 1,500-kilometre (930-mile) front line has been largely static during winter, and both Ukraine and Russia need artillery shells, missiles and drones that enable longer-range strikes.

Ukraine says Moscow is receiving artillery shells and missiles from North Korea and drones from Iran. On Jan. 4, the White House cited U.S. intelligence officials as saying that Russia acquired ballistic missiles from North Korea and is seeking them from Iran.

Zelenskyy is pushing Kyiv’s Western allies to provide more support on top of the billions of dollars in military aid the country has already received.

He visited Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia this week in search of new pledges. The Baltic countries are among Kyiv’s staunchest supporters, and they promised more missiles, drones, howitzers and artillery shells.

Zelenskyy has warned that Ukraine particularly needs air defence systems. Recent Russian barrages — more than 500 drones and missiles were fired between Dec. 29 and Jan. 2, according to officials in Kyiv — are using up Ukraine’s resources and leaving it vulnerable.

Sunak said that the U.K. recognizes that Ukrainian security “is our security,” as Kyiv's forces stand up to Putin.

“Today we are going further — increasing our military aid, delivering thousands of cutting-edge drones, and signing a historic new security agreement to provide Ukraine with the assurances it needs for the long term,” he said.

A plan by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to send US$60 billion in new funding to Kyiv is being held up in Congress. Europe’s pledge in March to provide 1 million artillery shells within 12 months also has fallen short, with only about 300,000 delivered by the end of last year.

Associated Press writers Danica Kirka and Pan Pylas in London contributed.

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In Kyiv, U.K. prime minister warns Russia that aid for Ukraine won’t falter

KYIV — On a visit to Kyiv, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Friday that the United Kingdom would provide Ukraine with more than $3 billion in additional military aid and signed bilateral security guarantees between London and Kyiv — the first such agreement on concrete security pledges, which Ukraine has sought as protection against further aggression by Russia.

Speaking at a signing ceremony in Kyiv, Sunak said that “in the event of a future Russian attack,” London will provide “swift and sustained security assistance, military equipment across land, sea and air domains, economic assistance,” as well as “economic and other costs on Russia.”

“It’s important that Russia sees that we are not moving away, that we will be with Ukraine, not just today, not just tomorrow, but for the long term,” Sunak said.

Given that Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed that his current attack on Ukraine will continue until his objectives are achieved, the agreement seemed largely intended as a message to the Kremlin that it should not expect British support for Ukraine to fade anytime soon.

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Britain is already one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters, but Sunak’s visit delivered a particularly uplifting message for Kyiv at a moment when Russia has stepped up its aerial bombardment campaign and when other, larger proposed aid packages from the United States and the European Union are stalled in Washington and Brussels.

Russian strike kills 11, including children, Ukraine says

Although the British assistance is relatively small compared with more than $60 billion sought by President Biden and, so far, blocked in Congress, Sunak’s announcement demonstrated his country’s commitment in the face of Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine and its unchecked disregard for internationally recognized borders. Sunak said that the U.K. to date had delivered some $15 billion in aid to Ukraine.

The security accord, called the U.K.-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation, intends “to be the first step in developing an unshakable hundred-year partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom,” a British government statement said.

London would also “provide intelligence sharing, cybersecurity, medical and military training, and defense industrial cooperation,” the statement said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the agreement would last 10 years and can be extended, remaining in effect until Ukraine joins NATO. (So far, allies have not extended an invitation to Ukraine to join.)

Zelensky speculated that a similar agreement might have prevented Russia’s invasions of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022.

If “this level of guarantees had been reached” with the U.K. and other countries in the period since Ukraine became independent, he said, “there simply would have been no Russian aggression.”

She’s 16. The war in Ukraine wrecked her city — and her childhood.

According to the agreement, in the case of a Russian attack, London commits to consult with Kyiv “within 24 hours to determine measures needed to counter or deter the aggression” and provide security assistance, a spokesperson for the U.K. prime minister said.

“This is a clear, specific and significant commitment,” the spokesperson said. “The agreement is designed to provide significant security assurances as Ukraine progresses its NATO membership.”

The spokesperson noted, however, that the security agreement did not provide the same mutual defense obligation as is provided under Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty.

“It’s not directly equivalent,” the spokesperson said.

Support for Ukraine has emerged as a central thrust of London’s foreign policy since Britain left the European Union — and it has provided a means for successive Conservative prime ministers to divert attention from internal political strife. It has also provided a way for London to distinguish itself from European governments, some of whom have wavered in their military assistance to Ukraine, or, as in the cases of Hungary and Slovakia, rejected it outright.

Kyiv has sought security commitments from Western governments that could deter Russia and send a signal to Moscow that support for Ukraine remains strong.

The Group of Seven countries agreed to a framework of security guarantees at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July, with individual states intended to negotiate and sign bilateral agreements separately. “The U.K. is the first country to deliver a final agreement,” the government statement said.

Sunak also arrived in Kyiv with a pledge to provide some $250 million more in military aid than the previous two years.

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Much of this sum would be spent “on a major push to rapidly procure and produce thousands of military drones for Ukraine, including surveillance, long-range strike and sea drones,” the statement said.

“This will be the largest delivery of drones to Ukraine from any nation,” the statement said. “Most of the drones are expected to be manufactured in the U.K.”

Sunak’s visit takes place as questions have arisen over the West’s commitment to helping Ukraine defend itself. Some Republicans in Congress have blocked Biden’s proposal and sought to link it to provisions for U.S. border security .

On Thursday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that assistance to Ukraine has “ground to a halt,” as the last aid package under existing financial support had been disbursed.

In Brussels, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has thrown up obstacles to new European Union assistance.

Sunak, by contrast, arrived in Kyiv on Friday with a message of steadfast support.

“Ukraine is not alone — and indeed Ukraine will never be alone,” Sunak said in Kyiv. “Putin might think that he can outlast us, but he is wrong.”

Serhiy Morgunov in Lisbon contributed to this report.

What to know about Ukraine’s counteroffensive

The latest: The Ukrainian military has launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces , opening a crucial phase in the war aimed at restoring Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty and preserving Western support in its fight against Moscow.

The fight: Ukrainian troops have intensified their attacks on the front line in the southeast region, according to multiple individuals in the country’s armed forces, in a significant push toward Russian-occupied territory.

The front line: The Washington Post has mapped out the 600-mile front line between Ukrainian and Russian forces .

How you can help: Here are ways those in the United States can support the Ukrainian people as well as what people around the world have been donating.

Read our full coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war . Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video .

• International

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UK prime minister visits Kyiv to show support for Ukraine

From Kareem Khadder in Kyiv and Niamh Kennedy in London

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is in Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a show of support for the country in his first visit since becoming UK leader.

“The Prime Minister is in Ukraine today for his first visit to Kyiv to meet President Zelenskyy and confirm continued UK support,” a Downing Street spokesperson said. 

A CNN crew in Kyiv earlier spotted Sunak and Zelensky on Saturday during the visit, while they were touring an outdoor square. 

Zelensky posted a video on his official Telegram channel of him receiving Sunak in a snowy Kyiv. 

"Since the first days of the war, Ukraine and the UK have been the strongest of allies. During today's meeting, we discussed the most important issues both for our countries and for global security," Zelensky said in the post. 

"Together we are stronger, and we will achieve the desired results," the Ukrainian president added. 

In a tweet, Sunak said, "we are with you all the way."

Poland barring Russia from security organization talks is "unprecedented and provocative," Moscow says

From CNN's Gabby Gretener in London

Poland has barred Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov from attending the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Council of Foreign Ministers. The meeting is scheduled for Dec. 1 and Dec. 2 in Lodz, Poland.

On Saturday, Russia's Foreign Ministry responded to Warsaw's refusal in a statement, saying Poland's decision as OSCE Chairman-in-Office is "unprecedented and provocative." In the statement, the foreign ministry called for the OSCE to have a "rules-based order."

Poland has also barred a Russian delegation from participating in the autumn session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, which will be held in Warsaw from November 24 to 26. The Russian ministry said this was a "culmination of Poland's anti-chairmanship in the organisation."

Admission of the Russian delegation to the OSCE session "would violate the principle of solidarity with Ukraine," the head of Poland’s delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Barbara Bartus, said in response to the request for visas, according to Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy chair of the Russian Federation Council Committee on International Affairs. Dzhabarov made the statement on Wednesday.

Nikopol district in southern Ukraine hit by Russian shells overnight, official says

From Kostan Nechyporenko from Kyiv

Russian shelling hit the southern Ukrainian Nikopol district overnight Friday into Saturday, according to the head of the Nikopol district military administration. 

“About sixty shells and rocket munitions fell on peaceful settlements,” Yevhen Yevtushenko said in a Telegram post on Saturday.

Although residential buildings and cars were damaged, no one was reported injured in the shelling, Yevtushenko added. 

Experts are currently surveying the sites of attacks in the Marhanets and Myrove communities and the city of Nikopol, the official said.  

The Nikopol district is located in the Dnipropetrovsk region and sits across the river from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. 

Zelensky says energy supply issues persist after Russian strikes

From CNN's Jennifer Hauser

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says energy supply issues persist in the capital and 17 other regions Friday, even after utility officials indicated that power access had been restored across the country.

Speaking in his nightly address, Zelensky said it's still difficult to get enough electricity to "Kyiv region and Kyiv. It’s very difficult in the Odesa region, and also the Vinnytsia region and Ternopil region." 

The director of Ukraine's Energy Industry Research Center said earlier Friday that power had been restored nearly everywhere in the country, after 10 million customers lost service due to missile attacks Thursday.

Even when utilities repair infrastructure in Ukraine and customers regain access, operators have had to widely impose emergency cuts to deal with the country's diminished supply. That means regions only receive a limited amount of energy and are sometimes subject to intentional blackouts aimed at stabilizing and maintaining the fragile grid.

Fighting in the east: In his update, Zelensky also reported "fierce fighting" in the eastern Donetsk region. He claimed that about 100 Russian attacks were repelled in the region on Thursday alone.

Donetsk, which is one of four Ukrainian regions Moscow claims to have annexed, has been subject to some of the conflict's fiercest fighting .

First train leaves Kyiv for liberated Kherson after 8 months of occupation

From CNN's Dennis Lapin in Kyiv

The first train from Kyiv to the recently liberated city of Kherson left Friday.

"This is our train of victory!" Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said on Telegram.

There were about 200 passengers on board.

Some context: Kherson residents lived under Russian occupation for eight months, but last week, Ukrainian forces swept into the city as  Moscow's troops retreated east .

The return of the city, which was the only regional capital held by the Kremlin's forces, brought scenes of jubilation in the streets, where locals sang, waved flags and embraced Ukrainian soldiers.

Much work remains to restore basic services to the city and the region surrounding it, however, and Ukrainian officials are now investigating the brutality and torture suffered by detainees in the city.

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Ukraine, Britain announce security agreement during Kyiv visit by PM Sunak

British prime minister also confirms 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2bn) in new aid for Ukraine for the next financial year.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has signed a new security agreement with Ukraine’s president and announced an increase in military funding for the war-wracked country during a visit to Kyiv.

Britain, one of Ukraine’s closest allies during the Russian invasion, will increase its support in the next financial year to 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2bn), an increase of 200 million pounds ($255m) on the previous two years, Sunak said on Friday.

‘Stand with Ukraine’

During the press conference, Sunak urged his Western allies to maintain their support for Ukraine and warned that a Russian victory would encourage other authoritarian countries.

“If Putin wins in Ukraine, he will not stop there,” Sunak said.

Zelenskyy also told reporters that Ukraine was more positive now than in December about securing aid from the United States.

Britain is the second-biggest donor of military aid to Ukraine after the US, giving a total of 4.6 billion pounds ($3.3bn) in 2022 and 2023.

“I am here today with one message: The UK will also not falter,” Sunak said.

“We will stand with Ukraine in their darkest hours and in the better times to come,” he added in his initial remarks after his arrival in the capital.

Sunak first visited Ukraine in November 2022, soon after he became prime minister. Britain has been one of Ukraine’s most vocal backers.

Ahead of his visit, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had warned that any move by Britain to deploy troops to Ukraine would be a “declaration of war against our country”.

Both Ukraine and Russia are scrambling to replenish their weapons after 22 months of fighting and the potential for a protracted conflict. The roughly 1,500km (930-mile) front line has been largely static during winter, and both warring sides require artillery shells, missiles and drones that enable long-range strikes.

Kyiv says Moscow is receiving artillery shells and missiles from North Korea and drones from Iran. On January 4, the White House cited US intelligence officials as saying that Russia acquired ballistic missiles from North Korea and is seeking them from Iran.

Kyiv seeks more military aid

Zelenskyy is pushing his country’s Western allies to provide Ukraine with more support on top of the billions of dollars in military aid it has already received.

This week he visited the Baltic countries Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia to rally support against Russia and search for new pledges. The Eastern European countries, which are also among Kyiv’s staunchest supporters, promised more missiles, drones, howitzers and artillery shells.

Zelenskyy has warned that Ukraine particularly needs air defence systems to fend off recent Russian aerial barrages. More than 500 drones and missiles were fired at Ukraine from December 29 to January 2, according to officials in Kyiv.

Sunak said the UK recognises that Ukrainian security “is our security”.

“Today we are going further – increasing our military aid, delivering thousands of cutting-edge drones and signing a historic new security agreement to provide Ukraine with the assurances it needs for the long term,” he said.

Elsewhere, however, support for Ukraine’s war effort is sputtering.

A plan by US President Joe Biden’s administration to send $60bn in new funding to Kyiv is being held up in Congress.

Europe’s pledge in March to provide 1 million artillery shells within 12 months has also fallen short with only about 300,000 delivered by the end of last year.

John Leicester, Associated Press John Leicester, Associated Press

Jill Lawless, Associated Press Jill Lawless, Associated Press

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In surprise visit to Kyiv, British PM Sunak promises boost to air defenses

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised 125 anti-aircraft guns and other air-defense technology as he made an unannounced visit Saturday — his first — to Ukraine’s snow-blanketed war-time capital for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The air-defense package, which Britain valued at 50 million pounds ($60 million), comes as Russia has been pounding Ukraine’s power grid and other key infrastructure from the air, causing widespread blackouts for millions of Ukrainians amid frigid weather.

READ MORE: Russian strikes force Ukraine to face extended power outages

The package includes radar and other technology to counter Iran-supplied exploding drones that Russia has used against Ukrainian targets. It comes on top of a delivery of more than 1,000 anti-air missiles that Britain announced earlier this month.

The U.K. has been one of the staunchest Western supporters of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s invasion, giving Kyiv 2.3 billion pounds ($2.7 billion) in military aid. Zelenskyy described the two countries as “the strongest of allies.”

Video that Zelenskyy posted showed him greeting Sunak at a presidential palace as snowflakes fell and the two men holding talks.

“With friends like you by our side, we are confident in our victory. Both of our nations know what it means to stand up for freedom,” the Ukrainian leader said on Twitter.

Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who stepped down in July amid ethics scandals, won wide praise in Ukraine for his backing and made repeated visits to Kyiv. Sunak is keen to reassure Ukraine’s leaders that there will be no change of stance under his leadership, although when he was U.K. Treasury chief under Johnson he was considered resistant to demands for higher defense spending.

“The courage of the Ukrainian people is an inspiration to the world,” Sunak said in comments alongside Zelenskyy in the presidential palace. “In years to come, we will tell our grandchildren of your story.”

He pledged that Britain “will stand with you until Ukraine has won the peace and security it needs and deserves and then we will stand with you as you rebuild your great country.”

Sunak also laid flowers at a memorial for the war dead, lit a candle at a memorial for victims of a deadly Soviet-era famine in Ukraine in the 1930s, and met first responders at a fire station, his office said.

Sunak said it was “deeply humbling” to visit Kyiv “and to have the opportunity to meet those who are doing so much, and paying so high a price, to defend the principles of sovereignty and democracy.”

On the battlefield, Russian forces launched 10 airstrikes, 10 missile strikes and 42 rocket attacks on Ukraine in the last day, the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said Saturday.

Russia is pressing an offensive in the eastern Donetsk region, and Ukraine reported heavy fighting around the city of Bakhmut, town of Avdiivka and village of Novopavlivka.

READ MORE: Biden asks for more than $37 billion in Ukraine emergency aid

Russian forces claimed to have repelled a Ukrainian counteroffensive to take back the settlements of Pershotravneve, Kyslivka and Krokhmalne in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv province.

Ukrainian forces said they killed or wounded scores of Russian soldiers during an attack on the village of Mykhailivka in the southern Kherson region, and the wounded were taken to hospitals in Crimea. The claim could not be independently verified.

Ukrainian forces also reported they conducted deadly strikes on the Kinburn Spit in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv province, a key site for Russian electronic warfare.

Russia kept up its strikes on critical infrastructure, with a rocket attack overnight causing a fire at a key industrial facility in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, according to the region’s chief. Some areas in the regional capital of Zaporizhzhia were left without heating.

The head of Ukraine’s biggest private energy firm told the BBC that Ukrainians who can afford it should consider leaving the country to relieve the pressure on its war-damaged power system.

“If they can find an alternative place to stay for another three or four months, it will be very helpful to the system,” said Maxim Timchenko, chief executive of DTEK. “If you consume less, then hospitals with injured soldiers will have a guaranteed power supply.”

In Poland, a funeral was held Saturday for one of the two men who died when a missile landed there this week, according to the state news agency PAP.

NATO member Poland and the head of the military alliance have both said that the missile strike in an eastern farming region appeared to be unintentional and was probably launched by air defenses in neighboring Ukraine. Russia had been bombarding Ukraine at the time in an attack that savaged its power grid.

The U.K. Ministry of Defense noted Saturday that Russia on Wednesday conducted its largest ever-debt issuance in a single day, raising $13.6 billion. It said debt issuance is a key mechanism to sustain defense spending, which has increased significantly in Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February.

Elise Morton in London contributed to this story.

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British Prime Minister's Visit Biden and Sunak Agree to Strengthen Economic Ties and A.I. Safety

The leaders also focused on their shared support for Ukraine, with Sunak saying, “We will be here as long as it takes.” It was his first visit to Washington as prime minister.

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Biden Announces New Economic Agreement With the U.K.

President biden and prime minister rishi sunak of britain said the new plan would strengthen economic ties between the two countries..

“Today, we’re releasing a new plan to equip our economic partnership for the 21st century. It outlines how we can enhance our cooperation to accelerate the clean energy transition that must take place, and is taking place, lead the development of emerging technologies that are going to shape so much of our future and protect technologies critical to our national security. And a key piece of that is working together to strengthen our critical minerals supply chains and to make them more resilient. So we’re not dependent on any one country to meet our goals.” “This week alone, 14 billion pounds of new American investment has been committed into the U.K., creating thousands of jobs. It means stronger supply chains with a new action plan on clean energy, and it means reducing trade barriers in the technologies of the future, with a new secure U.K.-U.S. data bridge, helping tens of thousands of small businesses.”

Katie Rogers

Biden and Sunak say their countries will support Ukraine for the long haul.

President Biden and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain affirmed their support for Ukraine on Thursday, pledging to continue drumming up financial and military aid for Kyiv as fighting intensifies on Russia’s front lines .

Mr. Sunak, who made his first visit as prime minister to Washington and is intent on establishing a post-Brexit Britain as a competent and reliable global player, said his country would not turn away from Ukraine. That commitment comes even as both he and Mr. Biden face economic headwinds and domestic concerns about the length of the war.

“There is no point in trying to wait us out,” Mr. Sunak said at a news conference with Mr. Biden in the East Room of the White House, addressing Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, whom he accused of wrongly assuming that the West would tire of providing support. “We will be here as long as it takes.”

Mr. Biden said he was confident that he could persuade a divided Congress to support a new round of funding for Ukraine, though he would not put a dollar amount on the package.

“I believe we’ll have the funding necessary to support Ukraine as long as it takes,” Mr. Biden said, adding that a “vast majority” of his critics in Congress would agree that funding Ukraine would be better than allowing Russia to go unchecked.

Mr. Sunak’s two-day visit was a high-profile engagement for a 43-year-old leader who has held his office only since October and is eager to establish himself on the world stage. It also presented an opportunity for Mr. Biden to deepen his relationship with a young leader who is keenly aware that his role has historically been to be one of the closest allies to the American president.

Both men hailed the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, with each taking time to praise the other for leadership on Ukraine. But Mr. Sunak, who has been in pursuit of a free-trade agreement with the United States — something that Brexit supporters in Britain promised as an alternative to membership in the European Union — will leave Washington with only a modest pact unveiled by both countries on Thursday.

The agreement, called the Atlantic Declaration, will bring the countries closer on research around quantum computing, semiconductor technologies and artificial intelligence, a field in which developments are often faster than the efforts to regulate them.

“What it does is responds to the particular opportunities and challenges that we face right now and into the future,” Mr. Sunak said of the agreement, when asked if it meant that he had failed on his promise to secure a trade deal. Mr. Biden, whose Inflation Reduction Act raised some concerns among allies , said that shoring up manufacturing in the United States and bolstering supply chains would “not hurt any of our allies and friends in terms of the trade pieces.”

Mr. Sunak did not receive an easy victory in his soft campaign to replace NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, who is expected to leave his post in September . Mr. Sunak has publicly pushed for his defense secretary, Ben Wallace, to take the job. When a reporter asked if it was time for a British official to serve as the secretary general, Mr. Sunak grinned widely, but Mr. Biden did not take the bait.

“That remains to be seen,” Mr. Biden said. Earlier in the week, he hosted Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark, who is also said to be interested in the job.

Mr. Biden had warm words for Mr. Sunak when it came to the prime minister’s efforts to bring leaders together over issues raised by artificial intelligence. Mr. Sunak is a self-described “techie” who will host a summit on A.I. later this year.

“We are looking to Great Britain to help make that effort to figure out a way through this so we are in full, total cooperation,” Mr. Biden said.

The exchange over A.I. was met with measured skepticism by experts who noted that the efforts of a post-Brexit prime minister may do little to spur leaders to act.

“A London conference on AI regulation is a good thing,” Peter Ricketts, a former national security adviser to Prime Minister David Cameron, wrote on Twitter . “The Brits are good at convening. But this isn’t the same as leading on norm-setting. The heavy lifting is going on in the US-EU dialogue.”

But others pointed out that Mr. Sunak has worked to bring his country closer to an array of allies, including by signing off on a plan with the United States and Australia to develop and deploy nuclear-powered attack submarines.

“Making this whole partnership with the United States and Australia, and even Korea and Singapore, more of a thing is the most natural way he can continue to help Britain punch above its weight,” Michael E. O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said in an interview.

Mr. Biden and Mr. Sunak have met several times at diplomatic events in recent months, including over coffee when Mr. Biden traveled to Northern Ireland in April. Despite their political differences — Mr. Biden is a moderate liberal and Mr. Sunak a conservative — both men have a shared leadership style that emphasizes even-keeled diplomacy.

Mr. Biden has spent much of his time in office seeking to stabilize the United States’ relationship with allies around the world after the Trump presidency. And Mr. Sunak, who became prime minister after the bombastic tenure of Boris Johnson and the very brief one of Liz Truss , has sought to establish himself as a more dependable occupant of 10 Downing Street. Yet both leaders have low approval ratings, and both lead countries that have so far managed to avoid an economic recession but whose voters feel financially constrained by inflation.

On this visit, Mr. Sunak was under pressure to assure doubters in the United States and at home that, after Brexit, Britain remains as reliable an ally as ever. He came to Washington with gifts, including a custom Barbour jacket, a staple of British outerwear, for Mr. Biden, and both leaders peppered their meetings with historical knowledge about prime minister-presidential relationships past.

“Prime Minister Churchill and Roosevelt met here a little over 70 years ago, and they asserted that the strength of the partnership between Great Britain and the United States was the strength of the free world,” Mr. Biden said. “I still think there’s truth to that assertion.”

There was the occasional personal flourish — mostly from Mr. Sunak — including when the prime minister mentioned at the news conference that their wives had gotten to know each other over spin class dates. At one point, he complimented his lodgings at Blair House, the home across the White House reserved for foreign dignitaries: “The spare room in the flat in Number 10 Downing Street doesn’t quite compare,” he quipped.

Still, their bond did not yet appear to be the same close one that Tony Blair forged with President Bill Clinton and then with President George W. Bush. At another point, Mr. Sunak invoked Churchill’s early-morning wanderings of the White House and “bothering Mrs. Roosevelt.”

“Don’t worry,” Mr. Sunak said, “you won’t see me doing that.”

Stephen Castle contributed reporting from London.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs

Taking one last question from reporters, Biden was asked why voters should trust an independent Justice Department as it investigates Trump. Biden said that he had never told the Justice Department what it should do. “I am honest.”

Biden smiled broadly when asked about accusations from congressional Republicans that he was involved in a bribery scheme. “Where’s the money?” he asked, before calling the allegations “a bunch of malarkey.”

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Stephen Castle

The body language today has been notably warmer and more relaxed than when Biden met Sunak for coffee at a hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in April. Still, this doesn’t look quite like the same kind of close bond that Tony Blair forged with President Clinton and then President George W. Bush.

With NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, expected to leave his post in September , Sunak has publicly pushed for his defense secretary to take the job. Sunak grinned widely when the last question was about whether it is time for a British official to lead NATO. “That remains to be seen,” Biden said, not taking the bait.

Mark Landler

Brexiteers billed a free-trade agreement with the United States as a major dividend of leaving the European Union. Sunak is making the best of what is at most a consolation prize.

Sunak has faced domestic criticism over the lack of a comprehensive free trade agreement with the United States because his party suggested in 2019 that it could secure one within three years. He’s now being accused of a broken promise.

The White House had to postpone an outdoor Pride Month event because of the air pollution outside — what a sentence — but Biden says that his administration is taking steps to counter anti-L.G.B.T.Q. sentiment in the United States, including what the president says is a plan to “strengthen the physical safety” of marches, community events and health care centers. The event has been rescheduled for Saturday.

Biden has often said foreign allies are concerned and ask about human rights violations and threats against democratic norms within the United States. Sunak is getting a front-row seat for the discussion of those threats today as Biden is asked about the restricting of transgender rights in the United States.

The new agreement “Atlantic Declaration” on economic cooperation may be nothing like a transatlantic trade agreement, but it helps Sunak’s domestic argument that Britain has a secure future after Brexit, which took it out of the European Union and its massive trading market.

Sunak, who is a similarly vocal supporter of Kyiv, said that Vladimir V. Putin of Russia would be wrong if he assumed that Western allies would tire of supporting Ukraine. “There is no point in trying to wait us out,” Mr. Sunak said. “We will be here as long as it takes.”

“I believe we’ll have the funding to support Ukraine as long as it takes,” Biden says in what appeared to be a prepared answer (he is looking at notes). This comes amid questions on Capitol Hill about additional funding for Ukraine aid.

Taking a question on Ukraine, Biden says that the United States has “done everything we could” to prepare Kyiv to mount an aggressive counteroffensive on Russian front lines, and added that he was confident that Congress would continue to approve funding for support as the fighting continued, despite infighting among Republicans and softening domestic support for the war.

Biden did not answer a question about how much continuing support Ukraine might cost.

Sunak’s pitch to doubters in the United States is that, after Brexit, Britain remains “as reliable” an ally as ever. He aims to reassure those in United States who saw Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union as a retreat from the global stage.

Early in his remarks, Biden praised Sunak for his support for Ukraine. This comes as Republicans in Congress debate how to support Ukraine with additional funding. And some House Republicans say they will fight additional aid to Ukraine. The administration has not said whether it will seek a supplemental bill in the coming weeks.

On Ukraine, Sunak returned the compliment by praising the United States for providing “leadership and resources” that have allowed “the forces of democracy and freedom to prevail.”

President Biden has used the words Rishi Sunak will have wanted to hear about U.S-U.K. ties, calling it a “special relationship.” He added: “there is no country closer to us than the United Kingdom.”

Biden says that the United States and the United Kingdom are releasing an economic plan that will help strengthen economic ties between the two countries, including plans to strengthen the global minerals supply chain. And on quantum computing and A.I., Biden says “we are going to do more on joint research and development to ensure the future will remain fundamentally aligned with the values of both of our countries.”

Biden has already corrected one previous mistake by correctly pronouncing the prime minister’s name. During a White House event celebrating Diwali last year, Biden mispronounced Rishi Sunak’s name while congratulating him for becoming the United Kingdom’s new prime minister.

Biden and Sunak have taken the stage and the president began his remarks by addressing the wildfires in Canada. He said that over 600 firefighters have been deployed to Canada and he urged Americans to heed guidance from local officials.

A jolly-sounding voice on the PA system just told us to silence our cell phones so hopefully this presser is imminent.

Some of Biden’s closest advisers have taken their seats in the East Room, a sign that we may be getting closer to the start of the news conference.

The news conference is running about a half hour behind schedule. This is not completely out of the ordinary for Biden.

Michael D. Shear

Reporting from Washington.

Biden and Sunak will look for ways to protect supply chains against global threats.

President Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are trying to find ways to strengthen their intertwined supply chains against further damage from foreign adversaries and other global threats.

Mr. Sunak’s government, like those in other European capitals, has expressed frustration over the trade implications of Mr. Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which sends billions of dollars in subsidies to American companies in the green energy industry.

But Mr. Sunak is not expected to press for a free-trade agreement between the two nations. Rather, the British leader is stressing the need for even greater cooperation to fend off hostile threats to both economies, officials said.

“The UK and US have always worked in lock step to protect our people and uphold our way of life,” he said ahead of the meeting, according to a statement from the British embassy. “As the challenges and threats we face change, we need to build an alliance that also protects our economies.”

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said last month that the two leaders will “discuss efforts to continue strengthening our economic relationship as we confront shared economic and national security challenges.”

The economic relationship with Britain is a critical one for the United States. Trade between the two nations is worth about $350 billion a year, and there are numerous ties between companies located in both the United States and Britain.

But Britain’s decision to exit the European Union caused trade tensions between the two that proved to be an irritant in the relationship with Washington. Earlier this year, with Mr. Biden’s urging, Mr. Sunak resolved a trade dispute with Northern Ireland, a move seen as positive by Mr. Biden’s administration.

And the two countries waged a yearslong war of tariffs over a dispute involving Airbus and Boeing. The two countries lifted tariffs in that dispute in the summer of 2021, after 17 years.

But British officials stressed ahead of Thursday’s meeting that Mr. Sunak intends to focus on expanding the economic connections between the two countries.

“By combining our vast economic resources and expertise, we will grow our economies, create jobs and keep our people safe long into the future,” Mr. Sunak said.

On Thursday British reporters traveling with the British prime minister challenged him over the lack of progress toward a trade deal with the United States, pointing out that achieving one within three years was an objective set out by Mr. Sunak’s Conservative Party in its 2019 election manifesto.

Asked whether this was now a broken promise, Mr. Sunak rejected that assertion, telling Sky News that it reflected a changed macro economic situation after 2019. “Since then, we’ve had a pandemic. We’ve had a war in Ukraine and that has changed the macro economic situation,” he said.

In Britain, a trade agreement with the United States had been presented as a potential opportunity to offset the economic costs of Brexit, a policy that Mr. Sunak supported. In reality, any prospect of a comprehensive deal faded some time ago, but political opponents seized on Mr. Sunak’s words on Thursday.

“It’s clear they have failed on that promise, among many other promises,” said Keir Starmer, the leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party.

Once prime minister, now foreign secretary, Britain’s Cameron visits war-torn Ukraine

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New British Foreign Secretary David Cameron traveled Thursday to the Ukrainian port of Odesa during his first overseas trip as the U.K.’s top diplomat and pledged continued military support for Ukraine’s war effort until it is victorious in its war with Russia.

Cameron, a former prime minister who returned to government in a surpriseappointment Monday in a Cabinet shuffle, said he wanted to make Ukraine his first diplomatic destination, and met Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“I admire the strength and determination of the Ukrainian people,” he told Zelensky, according to a video posted Thursday by the president.

Cameron said Britain would continue to provide moral and diplomatic support, “but above all, the military support that you need not just this year and next year but however long it takes.”

The two-day visit came as Ukraine faces several challenges on and off the battlefield.

Zelensky has struggled to keep the world’s focus on Ukraine’s fight as attention has turned to the Middle East and Israel’s war against Hamas. Additional U.S. funding for Ukraine is in jeopardy because of political fights in Washington, and the European Union says it can’t provide allthe munitions it promised. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s counteroffensive has led to only incremental gains, and the ground war appears bogged down in a stalemate as wintry weather arrives.

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Zelensky thanked Cameron for visiting and told him that the divided focus in the world does not help Ukraine’s cause.

“A good meeting,” Zelensky wrote on the messaging app Telegram. “Weapons for the front, strengthening of air defense, protection of our people and critical infrastructure . I am grateful to the UK for its support!”

Cameron said he wanted to find out what Ukraine needs from its friends and also make sure it is not forgotten on the world stage.

“Russia thinks it can wait this war out, and that the West will eventually turn its attention elsewhere,” Cameron said in a statement Thursday. “This could not be further from the truth. In my first discussions with President Zelensky in my new role, I made clear that the U.K. and our partners will support Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes for them to achieve victory.”

Germany’s support for Ukraine to be ‘massively expanded’ next year

Germany’s top diplomat says Berlin’s aid to Ukraine will be ‘massively expanded’ next year even though global attention has turned to the Middle East.

Nov. 13, 2023

Britain has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine in defending itself from Russia.

As of last month, Britain said it was second only to the U.S. in providing military funds to Ukraine, giving $5.7 billion in assistance and training 30,000 Ukrainian troops on British soil.

Cameron was prime minister when Russia illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014. He launched a program to have the British army train more than 22,000 Ukrainian soldiers.

After meeting with Zelensky and other officials in Kyiv on Wednesday, Cameron became the first British government minister to travel to the port city of Odesa since the war began.

Ukraine says it’s gained a foothold on eastern bank of Dnipro River near Kherson

A top Ukrainian official says his embattled country’s troops have established a foothold on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River near Kherson.

Nov. 15, 2023

The historic city on the Black Sea is home to the nation’s busiest ports and serves as one of the main shipping points for Ukrainian grain destined for world markets. The city and port have come under fire since Russia over the summer declined to renew a deal allowing Ukraine to safely export grain via the Black Sea.

Cameron was shown how Ukraine is fighting back against Russia in the Black Sea to ensure that grain is still reaching countries in the developing world, his office said, though it provided no details.

Since the collapse of the grain deal, a new corridor in the Black Sea has allowed 91 ships to export cargo.

“In the last three months, Ukraine has made remarkable progress in the Black Sea to drive the Russian navy eastwards and open critical export corridors for Ukraine’s economy and global food supplies,” Cameron said.

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Jan. 13, 2024

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Reporting by Sergiy Karazy in Kyiv, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Tom Balmforth and Max Hunder in London, and Yuliia Dysa in Gdansk; Editing by Nick Macfie, Ron Popeski and Rosalba O'Brien

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Election latest: New poll shows what public think of Rishi Sunak leaving D-Day commemorations early

The latest updates from the general election campaign, as Rishi Sunak's decision to leave D-Day commemorations early dominates headlines.

Friday 7 June 2024 17:40, UK

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• New poll reveals what public think about PM leaving D-Day events early
• Sunak apologises and admits it was a 'mistake'
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• Electoral Dysfunction: What could be in the party manifestos?
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• Rob Powell: It beggars belief someone didn't sound the alarm about PM leaving D-Day events early
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The prime minister has faced criticism for leaving the 80th anniversary D-Day commemorations early to record a TV interview that's due to go out next week. 

Rishi Sunak has since apologised - saying that "on reflection" leaving early "was a mistake", but also that it shouldn't be politicised.

Niall Paterson looks at how damaging this misstep is for Mr Sunak with Clare Pearsall, former Conservative special adviser at the Home Office, and Joe Twyman, the co-founder of the polling company Deltapoll.

Plus, our chief political correspondent Jon Craig tells us just how big of a political blunder it was.

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The Liberal Democrats are continuing to make political hay of Rishi Sunak's D-Day "mistake".

The party has called on the prime minister to donate the £5m the party has received from Frank Hester to a veteran's charity, tying together two points of attack on the Conservatives.

In March, it was reported that in 2019 Mr Hester said of Diane Abbott - the first black woman elected to Parliament - that she made him want to "hate all black women" and "should be shot".

Electoral Commission data released yesterday showed the Conservative Party accepted another £5m in January - before those reports were published.

"Rishi Sunak must personally ensure this money is donated instead to a veterans' charity as an apology for his absence yesterday," said veteran and Liberal Democrat defence spokesperson Richard Foord.

"The prime minister has badly let down veterans and our country. He disrespected his office and the United Kingdom."

Separately, Labour Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds advised Tory candidates to "tell CCHQ you don't want tainted money" from Mr Hester and "provide the moral backbone for your party".

Labour's election manifesto has been finalised, a spokesperson says.

Senior figures and union officials met today to work out the final details, said to include promises on workers rights and recognising Palestinian statehood.

Sky News understands the pledges will included recognition of a Palestinian state before the end of a peace process.

"Today's meeting has endorsed Labour's manifesto," said the spokesperson.

The manifesto is otherwise understood to be cautious on new commitments, and to emphasise economic stability and national security.

It is based around the six key pledges Sir Keir has set out during the campaign.

These include economic growth, recruiting 6,500 more teachers and tackling NHS waiting lists and anti-social behaviour.

The manifesto is set to be unveiled next Thursday.

"On 4 July, the British people will have the chance to vote for change - to stop the chaos, turn the page and start to rebuild our country," said the Labour spokesperson.

Some 65% of Britons believe Rishi Sunak's decision to leave D-Day commemorations before they ended was unacceptable, a new poll finds.

This includes 68% of those who voted Conservative and 71% of those who voted Labour in 2019.

Just 8% of the 5,778 adults surveyed viewed his actions as completely acceptable, while 43% thought they were completely unacceptable.

Participants were asked whether they thought it was acceptable or unacceptable that Rishi Sunak left the commemorations in France before the international events had concluded in order to take part in an election interview.

While region and gender made little difference to the public's reaction, older people were the most critical.

Approximately 75% of people aged over the aged of 65 thought it was somewhat or completely unacceptable, compared to 49% of 18 to 24-year-olds.

The children's minister has admitted not knowing how much child benefit is worth.

David Johnston conceded he "should have found out before I came on here" in an interview with LBC.

He was promoting Tory plans to make high earners eligible for more of the allowance.

Asked how much current child benefit is worth, Mr Johnston said: "That I'm afraid I don't know.

"It's actually not a Department for Education policy, it's a DWP [Department for Work and Pensions] one."

Broadcaster Nick Ferrari replied: "Sorry, is your title minister for children? And you don't know what the child allowance is?"

Mr Johnston said: "Well we don't mind the benefits I'm afraid, but you're right, I should have found out before I came on here.

"I'm sorry that I don't know the amount."

Child benefit is £25.60 a week for the eldest or only child in a family and £16.95 a week for younger children.

Under existing rules, parents or parents' partners start to lose the allowance if they earn more than £60,000, and it is taken away entirely when one's income tops £80,000.

The Conservatives unveiled plans today to allow people to keep some allowance on incomes up to £160,000 - a policy that would cost the Treasury £1.3bn.

This would save 700,000 families £1,500, said Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

While Rishi Sunak has insisted his decision to leave D-Day commemorations early shouldn't be "politicised", Labour's Jonathan Ashworth says the prime minister's move was politically motivated.

"This disrespect is shocking, but I think it reveals something unbecoming about both his judgement and his character," said the shadow paymaster general.

"What type of person thinks it is more important to rush away from an event like this to go and do an interview to try and score political points and save his own skin than truly honour the fallen."

He continued: "It was him who put political party ahead of country."

Mr Ashworth accused the PM of "scrambling out an apology" today.

"The right thing to do was to stay at that event."

As the Tory battle bus pulled into a school in the Gloucestershire town of Stonehouse, the reporters and camera crews onboard immediately scuttled off up the road in the opposite direction of the campaign stop.

Their interest had been piqued not by the presence of a politician, but by a road sign.

After a tense interview in the playground of a Swindon nursery in which Rishi Sunak had been forced to apologise for leaving D-Day commemoration events early - something criticised as offensive by politicians and military folk alike - his next campaign stop was on a street called "Veterans Way".

Election campaigns often progress in peaks and troughs with errors and lapses of judgement giving rise to other awkward situations which - without the background controversy - would have at one point been totally irrelevant and innocuous.

They can also throw up strange sights - like that of three national broadcast camera crews filming a sign in the middle of the Gloucestershire countryside while an exasperated Tory official glumly looks on.

You know what they say, prime minister - it never rains.

By Jennifer Scott , political reporter

Labour is promising to get more young people on the housing ladder as it announces its "freedom to buy" scheme.

The party is pledging to make the existing mortgage guarantee scheme - which sees the government act as a guarantor for people unable to save big deposits - into a permanent fixture if it wins the election on 4 July.

Sir Keir Starmer is also committing to an overhaul of the planning system, including reintroducing housing targets, claiming his measures will see 1.5 million more homes built over the next five years.

"After 14 years of Conservative government, the dream of home ownership is out of reach for too many hard-working people," he said.

"Despite doing everything right, they can't move on and up. A generation faces becoming renters for life.

"My parents' home gave them security and was a foundation for our family. As prime minister, I will turn the dream of owning a home into a reality."

Read more here:

Until voters go to the polls on 4 July, the Politics Hub will be looking back at some memorable moments from previous general election campaigns.

Nigel Farage has claimed that the furore over Rishi Sunak leaving D-Day commemorations early yesterday was the prime minister's "Gillian Duffy moment" ( see post at 2pm ).

So what better time than to look back at this classic piece of campaign heritage?

Politics loves a "gate" and none were as impactful on the 2010 campaign as one that may have marked the beginning of the end for Gordon Brown.

"Bigotgate" was born after the then prime minister described a voter airing concerns about immigration in Rochdale as a "bigoted woman".

Mr Brown muttered it after an exchange with her on camera, not realising he was still being picked up by a microphone, and the comment was subsequently broadcast.

Previous entry: Boris Johnson hides in a fridge

By Jennifer Scott and Tim Baker, political reporters

Over in Essex, the drama has been ramping up regarding the selection of Tory party chairman Richard Holden as the candidate for Basildon and Billericay.

You may remember there was fury from the local Conservative association after the party's HQ presented them with a shortlist of just one candidate - if you don't, let our chief political correspondent Jon Craig fill you in .

And now today - on the day all parties' candidates need to be finalised by the 4pm deadline - reports have suggested there have been enough complaints to call an emergency meeting about ousting Mr Holden.

We have spoken to some people in the know about the association upset, and while they confirmed there had been a sufficient number of complaints, they told us there was not enough time to hold a meeting, let alone to deselect Mr Holden and reselect a new candidate.

But while they may have accepted their lot with the party chairman, there is still much anger with Tory HQ...

The full list of candidates standing in Basildon and Billericay is below:

• Christopher Bateman - British Democratic Party
• Stephen Conlay - Reform UK
• Stewart Goshawk - Green Party
• Alex Harrison - Labour Party
• Richard Holden - Conservative and Unionist Party 
• Edward Sainsbury - Liberal Democrats

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