During his first visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, the new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged further support for Ukraine's anti-aircraft defenses. The UK will provide "a comprehensive new air defense package" to protect Ukrainian civilians and critical national infrastructure from Russian attacks, the government said in London.

The £50 million package includes 125 anti-aircraft guns and anti-drone technology. At the beginning of November, the British Ministry of Defense had already promised Ukraine the delivery of 1,000 anti-aircraft missiles.

"While Ukrainian forces are successfully pushing back Russian forces on the ground, civilians are being brutally bombed from the air," Sunak said at his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to the statement.

Humanitarian aid will also be expanded

The British also want to strengthen their training programs for the Ukrainian armed forces and send army medics and engineers to the region to provide support. With a view to the winter, humanitarian aid should be expanded. Great Britain also wants to support Ukraine in rebuilding the infrastructure.

In Kyiv, Sunak laid flowers at a memorial to the war dead and lit a candle at a memorial to victims of the Holodomor famine. He also met emergency services at a fire station. "It fills me with humility to be in Kyiv today and to have the opportunity to meet those who are doing so much and paying such a high price to defend the principles of sovereignty and democracy," Sunak said in a statement.