In his second trip abroad since the start of the Russian invasion of this country last February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday addressed the British Parliament in London before heading across town to Buckingham Palace to meet with King Charles III.
The president flew into Stanstead Airport near London on a Royal Air Force plane, where he was greeted by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The two then traveled to Downing Street in a multivehicle convoy and posed for a photo op on the steps of Number 10.
Addressing British lawmakers in Westminster, Zelenskyy thanked the people of Britain for “all your big support from the first days of the full-scale invasion.”
In his address, the president made a plea for Britain to send warplanes to his country, calling them “wings for freedom.” British media outlet Sky News later reported that Sunak had asked Britain’s Defense Ministry to look into what jets Britain could give to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy then headed to Buckingham Palace for talks with the king, before going to meet Ukrainian troops being trained in Britain.
The president was then to travel to Paris for a dinner meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He was then due to appear at a summit of European Union leaders in Brussels.