Rishi Sunak in Ukraine to discuss ‘global security’ with Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Rishi Sunak has visited Ukraine for the first time since becoming prime minister, meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
The two world leaders discussed Ukraine‘s military advances and reconstruction plans, and the British PM pledged a £50m package to bolster Ukrainian air defence.
The package comprises 125 anti-aircraft guns and technology to counter Iranian-supplied drones, including dozens of radars intended to boost anti-drone electronic warfare capability.
Pic: Flickr/Number 10
The UK will also increase training for Ukraine’s armed forces, sending expert army medics and engineers to the region to offer specialised support.
During his visit, Mr Sunak laid flowers at a memorial for the war dead, lit a candle at a memorial for victims of the Holodomor famine, and met Ukrainian first responders including emergency personnel at a fire station.
A No 10 spokesperson confirmed the prime minister’s trip, saying: “The prime minister is in Ukraine today for his first visit to Kyiv to meet President Zelenskyy and confirm continued UK support.”
Mr Sunak tweeted: “Britain knows what it means to fight for freedom. We are with you all the way.”
President Zelenskyy shared a short video on his official Telegram social media feed showing the UK PM getting out of a car and walking with him along a red carpet into the Mariinskyia Palace.
The two leaders appear to make a comment about the cold weather as they shake hands, with small flakes of snow falling all around.
Wearing a flag pin showing the British and Ukrainian flags side-by-side, Mr Sunak is shown in a one-to-one meeting with the Ukrainian president, as well as a larger roundtable style meeting with military leaders.
Pic: Flickr/Number 10
A message from the Ukrainian leader accompanying the video said: “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.
“Together we are stronger and we will achieve the desired results.”
Mr Zelenskyy also tweeted his thanks to Mr Sunak, writing: “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.”
Following his visit, Mr Sunak said in a statement: “I am proud of how the UK stood with Ukraine from the very beginning. And I am here today to say the UK and our allies will continue to stand with Ukraine, as it fights to end this barbarous war and deliver a just peace.
“While Ukraine’s armed forces succeed in pushing back Russian forces on the ground, civilians are being brutally bombarded from the air. We are today providing new air defence, including anti-aircraft guns, radar and anti-drone equipment, and stepping up humanitarian support for the cold, hard winter ahead.
“It is deeply humbling to be in Kyiv today and to have the opportunity to meet those who are doing so much, and paying so high a price.”
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Mr Sunak follows in the footsteps of former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, pledging the UK’s ongoing support for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.
The prime minister also used his appearance at the G20 this week to join with allies and other Western leaders to condemn Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
The visit comes after a missile hit a Polish village close to the Ukrainian border, killing two people, and initially sparking concerns Russia had struck a NATO member state.
Tensions have since been eased by the likely attribution of the hit to Ukrainian defence forces.
In the last week, Ukrainian forces say Russia has rained down more than 148 missile strikes on critical infrastructure, leaving approximately 10 million people without power.
A British-Israeli soldier has been killed while fighting in Gaza, Israeli media reports said.
He was named locally as Sergeant Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld, 20, from the city of Ra’anana.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it is “looking into reports that an IDF soldier who died in combat in Gaza is a British national”.
The IDF soldier, who served in the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion, was killed by an explosive device on Sunday, the Times of Israel reported.
The paper said Mr Rosenfeld moved to Israel from London with his family 11 years ago.
More than 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since Israel’s war against Hamas began on 7 October 2023, more than 400 of them during the fighting in Gaza.
The war began when the militant group launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has devastated the enclave and killed more than 56,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
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It came as Donald Trump called for progress in ceasefire talks in the war between Israel and Hamas.
“MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” the US president wrote on social media on Sunday.
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On Friday Mr Trump raised expectations by claiming there could be an agreement within the next week.
World
Pictures reveal inside of Bayesian sunken superyacht after it was resurfaced for full examination
The inside of the superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily almost a year ago has been seen for the first time after it was resurfaced.
British billionaire Mike Lynch, 59, his daughter Hannah, 18, and five others died after the 56-metre (184ft) Bayesian sank off Porticello on 19 August 2024.
Images reveal what the inside of the British-flagged vessel looks like now – after it was resurfaced and placed in a manufactured steel cradle in Termini Imerese.
In one picture, a lounge area can be seen, complete with sofas and other furniture, while another shows the hatch down to the lower deck.
The tragedy last August claimed seven lives
A full examination of the yacht is being carried out
The incident has puzzled maritime experts
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Diver dies during work to recover yacht
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Now the boat is back on land, a balloon-like instrument will be used to lift its 72m (236ft) mast after it was cut off with a remote-controlled tool to rest on the seabed.
While salvage workers continue a “full sweep” of the ocean floor nearby, a full examination of the yacht will look at what could have been done to prevent the tragedy.
The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) will then publish a report into its investigation.
Salvage teams managed to raise the vessel and bring it ashore
The boat had lain on the seabed at a depth of 50 metres
The family of the Bayesian chef Recaldo Thomas, who was among those who died, says “lessons need to be learned”.
In a statement through the Thomas family lawyers Keystone Law, they said they want the investigation to “establish the truth of what happened” and “bring those responsible to justice”.
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Bayesian superyacht raised from seabed
Simon Graves, an MAIB investigator, said of the investigation previously: “When the wreck is brought ashore, we’ll be completing a full examination of the wreck and we’ll be finding out all of the elements that might have contributed to the safety of the vessel.”
Things like the vessel’s “escape routes” will be included in the final report, Mr Graves added.
“Once we get access to the vessel we’ll be able to tell a fuller picture of activities on board and the sequence of events.”
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A UK inquest will look at the deaths of Mr Lynch, Miss Lynch, Morgan Stanley banker Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife Judy, 71, who were all British nationals.
US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda also died.
Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares, were rescued.
Serbian riot police have clashed with anti-government protesters calling for snap elections and an end to the 12-year rule of President Aleksandar Vucic.
The protest by tens of thousands of demonstrators was held in Belgrade on Saturday after months of persistent demonstrations led by Serbia‘s university students that have rattled Mr Vucic’s grip on power.
The crowd chanted “We want elections!” as they filled the capital’s central Slavija Square and several streets around it.
Students gave speeches. One, who didn’t give her name, said: “Elections are a clear way out of the social crisis caused by the deeds of the government, which is undoubtedly against the interests of their own people.
“Today, on June 28 2025, we declare the current authorities illegitimate.”
Tens of thousands joined the protest. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Tensions were high before and during the gathering.
Riot police had been deployed around government buildings, parliament and nearby Pionirski Park, where hundreds of Mr Vucic’s loyalists from across the country have been camping for months.
As the protest ended in the evening, some demonstrators threw bottles, rocks and flares at the police who were preventing the crowd from approaching Pionirski Park and confronting Mr Vucic’s backers.
Skirmishes between riot officers and groups of protesters lasted for several hours, with police firing tear gas to disperse crowds in several locations across Belgrade’s city centre.
Police said they detained several dozen demonstrators. Pic: Reuters
Police detained several dozen protesters, while six officers were reported injured in the clashes, Dragan Vasiljevic, the director of police, told a news conference late on Saturday.
Responding to the violence, President Vucic said in an Instagram post: “Serbia always wins in the end.”
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University students have been a key force behind nationwide demonstrations that started after a renovated rail station canopy collapsed, killing 16 people in November last year.
Many blamed the concrete roof crash on government corruption and negligence in state infrastructure projects, leading to recurring protests.
President Aleksandar Vucic. File pic: Reuters
President Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party have repeatedly refused the demand for an early parliamentary vote and accused protesters of planning to spur violence on orders from abroad, which they have not specified.
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A former extreme nationalist, Mr Vucic has become increasingly authoritarian since coming to power more than a decade ago. He formally says he wants Serbia to join the European Union, but critics say he has stifled democratic freedoms and strengthened ties with Russia and China.
While demonstrations have shrunk in recent weeks, the large showing for Saturday’s rally suggested that the resolve persists, despite relentless pressure and after nearly eight months of almost daily protests.
The scene in Slavija Square. Pic: AP
Pic: Reuters
Serbian police, who are tightly controlled by Mr Vucic’s government, said 36,000 people were present at the start of Saturday’s protest.
An independent monitoring group that records public gatherings said a total of around 140,000 people were in attendance.
Serbia’s presidential and parliamentary elections are due in 2027.
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