, Columnist
Zelenskiy Visits London and Echoes Churchill
Ukraine’s president doesn't yet have his planes, but his trip to the UK should be remembered for the message he delivered
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy
Photographer: Leon Neal/Getty Images EuropeThis article is for subscribers only.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy came to Britain Wednesday hat in hand, literally. The war-torn country’s leader paused his speech in the historic 900-year-old Westminster Hall to present Speaker of the House Lindsay Hoyle the helmet of one of Ukraine’s ace fighter-pilots with the inscription, “we have freedom. Now give us the wings to protect it.”
Speaking in English and dressed simply in those familiar khaki fatigues, Zelenskiy appealed for modern jet fighters, but he gave the MPs something beyond planes to think about.