Johnson and Austrian President Carl Nehmmer paid separate visits to Zhelensky on Saturday, the latest in a series of leaders leaving the country during the ongoing Russian invasion.
The photo, tweeted by the Ukrainian embassy in the UK, showed Johnson sitting opposite Zhelensky at a table in a pink and green stucco room. This post is titled with the word “surprise” and the blink of an eye emoji.
The Press Service of the National Security and Security Council of Ukraine said on its official Twitter account that the two leaders held talks in Kiev, and the couple released several photos of the previously unannounced meeting.
Johnson tweeted that his visit to Kiev was “a show of our unwavering support for the people of Ukraine” and announced a new package of financial and military aid.
“Ukraine has pushed back Russian forces from the gates of Kiev in defiance of the conflict and has achieved the greatest armed achievement of the 21st century,” the British Prime Minister said in a statement.
He praised Zhelensky’s “firm leadership” and “the invincible bravery and courage of the Ukrainian people” and said, “England stands firm with them in this ongoing battle … for a long time.”
Following the meeting, Downing Street announced that the UK government would provide armored vehicles and anti-ship missile systems, in addition to “high-quality military equipment worth £ 100 million” announced on Friday.
According to Zhelensky’s official telegram channel, the meeting between Zhelensky and Nehammer was separate from the meeting with Johnson and took place earlier on Saturday.
Nehemiah said Saturday that while his country is militarily neutral, “we understand that we must help where injustice and war crimes take place.”
According to his office, before returning to Austria on Saturday evening, Nehmar was ready to meet with Prime Minister Denis Schmidt and Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko.
Pucha is the “place where war crimes took place,” Nehemiah said.
“We have to report those war crimes to the UN and international justice must begin to investigate and fight these crimes,” he told a news conference with Zelensky.
Johnson’s and Nehemiah’s double visits come a day after top EU officials made a trip to Ukraine. EU President Ursula von der Leyen and Josep Borrell, the camp’s top ambassador, accompanied by Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger, visited Kyiv and Bucha on Friday.
Reported by CNN’s Sarah Dean from Poland, Przemysl and written by Ivana Kottasova in London. CNN’s James Frater, Radina Djikovic, Alex Hardy, Tara John and Max Foster contributed to the reporting.
