Johnson to hail Ukraine’s ‘finest hour’ in address to Kyiv parliament
The PM will use his speech by video link to set out a new £300 million support package for the Ukrainian armed forces.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson will hail the resistance of Ukrainians in the face of the brutal Russian invasion as their “finest hour” when he delivers an address to the country’s parliament.
Speaking by video link, the Prime Minister will use a speech to the Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday to set out details of a new £300 million package of military support for the government in Kyiv.
Downing Street said it will include electronic warfare equipment, a counter battery radar system, GPS jamming equipment and thousands of night vision devices, as Russia’s offensive in the Donbas region continues.
This is Ukraine’s finest hour, an epic chapter in your national story that will be remembered and recounted for generations to come
It follows Mr Johnson’s unannounced visit to the Ukrainian capital last month, in a show of support and solidarity with president Volodymyr Zelensky.
In his address, the Prime Minister will echo the words of Winston Churchill to the British people during the Second World War, as Mr Zelensky did when he spoke to the Westminster Parliament in March.
“When my country faced the threat of invasion during the Second World War, our Parliament, like yours, continued to meet throughout the conflict, and the British people showed such unity and resolve that we remember our time of greatest peril as our finest hour,” Mr Johnson is expected to say.
“This is Ukraine’s finest hour, an epic chapter in your national story that will be remembered and recounted for generations to come.
“Your children and grandchildren will say that Ukrainians taught the world that the brute force of an aggressor counts for nothing against the moral force of a people determined to be free.”
The latest military support package comes after ministers updated Parliament last week on plans to send sophisticated long-range Brimstone missiles and Stormer air defence vehicles.
In addition, the UK is to supply heavy lift aerial drones to provide logistical support to Ukrainian forces which have become isolated.
Downing Street said it is also sending more than a dozen new specialised Toyota Land Cruisers to protect civilian officials in eastern Ukraine and to evacuate civilians from frontline areas, following a request from the Ukrainian government.