British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said during a visit to Kyiv on Saturday that countries supporting Ukraine following its invasion by Russia would continue to tighten the economic sanctions on Moscow.
"Together with our partners, we are going to ratchet up the economic pressure and we will continue to intensify, week by week, the sanctions on Russia," Johnson said in comments to the media, standing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. His visit to the Ukrainian capital was previously unannounced.
Johnson said the measures would include moving away from the use of Russian hydrocarbons.
Johnson told Zelenskyy earlier in a private meeting that Britain would provide the country with 120 armored vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems.
The aid was in addition to 100 million pounds' ($130 million) worth of high-grade military equipment announced on Friday, Downing Street said.
Britain would also guarantee an additional $500 million in World Bank lending to Ukraine, taking its total loan guarantee to $1 billion, would liberalize tariffs on most imports from Ukraine, and take other measures to free up trade.
Johnson's unannounced visit was announced as a "surprise" on social media.
Ukrainian officials shared a photo of Johnson and Zelenskyy sitting across the table from each other in the Ukrainian capital.
The photo from the Embassy of Ukraine to the U.K. read, "Surprise," with a winking emoji.
"Boris Johnson's visit in Kyiv began just now with a tete-a-tete meeting with President Zelenskyy," presidential aide Andriy Sybiha wrote on Facebook, according to the Mail.
A visit to Kyiv amid Russia's stalking the city from the outskirts was unheard of just weeks ago amid Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
U.K. security officials were "having kittens" about Johnson traveling to a war zone, an expression of concern for the safety of such a visit just weeks ago.
Newsmax staffer Eric Mack contributed.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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