UK foreign secretary visits Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian officials

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly paid an unannounced visit to the Ukrainian capital on Monday, reaffirming his country’s support for Kyiv ahead of a conference aimed at helping Ukraine rebuild from the damage caused by the war with Russia.

"Ukraine can count on our support. For as long as it takes," Cleverly said on Twitter, thanking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

His visit came ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2023), which will take place in London on June 21-22.

Expressing his gratitude while welcoming his British counterpart in Kyiv, Kuleba said they are preparing for the conference and working together "to make the NATO summit in Vilnius a success."

The NATO summit will take place in Lithuania's capital Vilnius on July 11-12.

URC 2023, which will be held jointly by the UK and Ukraine, is a continuation of the cycle of annual events, with the last one conducted jointly with Switzerland in Lugano.

This year’s conference is expected to focus on mobilizing international support for Ukraine's economic and social stabilization and recovery from the effects of war.

It is dedicated to Ukraine's transformation and was symbolically launched in London in 2017 as the Ukraine Reform Conference.