The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking to both Houses of British Parliament, thanked the United Kingdom for military assistance and noted the special contribution of London.

Zelenskyy noted that Britain acted in advance and sent weapons to Ukraine when many other Western countries were hesitating.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your bravery. On behalf of all of us. All this applause is for you. London has stood with Kyiv since Day One, from the first minutes of full-scale war. Since the first seconds and minutes of the full-scale war. Great Britain, you extended your helping hand when the world had not yet come to understand how to react Boris: you got others united when it seemed absolutely impossible. Thank you. You all showed character, strong British character. You didn’t compromise Ukraine and hence you didn’t compromise your ideals and thus you didn’t compromise the spirit of these great islands. I thank you for that," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

"Both the Ukrainians and the British (in the Second World War. - EP) rejected the fear of war in order to later have peace... We will always rise above evil... As soon as the old evil is defeated, a new one tries to raise its head... But we know: freedom will win, we know that Russia will lose.

We truly know that the victory will change the world and this will be a change that the world has long needed. The United Kingdom is marching with us towards the most, I think, the most important victory of our lifetime. It will be a victory over the very idea of the war. After we win together, any aggressor, it doesn’t matter big or small, will know what awaits him if he attacks international order. Any aggressor who will try to push the boundaries by force, who will inflict destruction and death on other peoples, who will try to endure his dictatorship at the expense of other people’s blood in criminal and unprovoked wars, as the Kremlin does – any aggressor is going to lose," Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

The President noted that Ukraine and its allies have already managed to achieve a lot, and now is the time to turn these achievements into the foundations of the future security architecture.

He underlined that in the event of a threat of aggression against a certain state, it is important to provide it with assistance "in advance" in order to encourage the aggressor to abandon his intentions.

Earlier, Sunak met Zelenskyy at Stansted Airport upon his arrival. The local media noted that this was an unusual move for the British Prime Minister, as leaders are usually met by representatives of the government office.

Sunak is to announce an expanded training program for Ukrainian troops, as well as the supply of longer-range weapons to Kyiv.

Earlier, Buckingham Palace also confirmed that King Charles III would have an audience with Zelenskyy on 8 February.

Previously, the UK has announced new sanctions against Kremlin elites and organisations supplying military equipment such as drones.