The new British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, on Tuesday said she will visit Ukraine soon.
Ms Truss, according to a statement issued by her office, made her first call to President Vlodymmyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine reassuring him of her support and noting that Ukraine “could depend on the UK’s assistance for the long term.”
Mr Zelenskyy, while congratulating her on her new role, invited her to Ukraine.
“I became the 1st foreign leader to have a conversation with the newly elected BritishPM @trussliz. Invited her to Ukraine,” he tweeted.
In responding to Mr Zelenskyy’s invitation, “‘the Prime Minister said she looked forward to working with the President in the coming weeks and months and was delighted to accept an invitation to visit President Zelenskyy in Ukraine soon.”
Ms Truss as foreign secretary was the face of UK’s sanctions on Russia for attacking Ukraine and has since the war been very vocal in her support for Ukraine.
In her first speech as prime minister, she blamed the energy crisis in Europe on Russia.
According to her office, the leaders discussed the need to strengthen global security and the measures necessary to cut off the funds fuelling Russian leader Putin’s war machine.“
The leaders deplored Putin’s attempts to weaponise energy, and the Prime Minister said it was vital Russia’s blackmail did not deter the west from ensuring Putin fails.
She also underscored the importance of ensuring the UK and our allies continue to build energy independence,” the statement said.
Speaking to President Joe Biden of the US afterwards, Ms Truss said she looked forward to working closely with Mr Biden “as leaders of free democracies to tackle shared challenges, particularly the extreme economic problems unleashed by Putin’s war.”
The leaders reinforced their commitment to strengthening global liberty, tackling the risks posed by autocracies and ensuring MrPutin fails in Ukraine.
“The Prime Minister and President discussed a range of domestic issues and agreed on the importance of protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement,” the prime minister’s office said.