Ben Wallace, U.K. Secretary of State for Defense headed the delegation on June 10 on a visit to Kyiv.
On Mykhailivska Square in the capital of Ukraine, a distinguished guest was shown destroyed russian tanks and equipment.
"I am satisfied with the effectiveness of our NLAW systems in the hands of the Ukrainian military," said the U.K. Secretary of State for Defense.
The Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Valery Zaluzhnyi, who met with Ben Wallace, noted that Western and, in particular, British weapons are one of the factors helping Ukraine destroy the enemy.
"NLAW, Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles of" British origin "with Swedish roots - are already hundreds of units of destroyed enemy equipment and hundreds of liquidated occupiers. At the same time, thousands of units of Russian equipment, heavy artillery, and aircraft continue to bring death, destruction, and woe to the Ukrainian land and our people. Today you saw russian military equipment destroyed in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Ukrainian Donbas and Mykolayiv regions. These specimens are evidence of the ability of Ukrainian soldiers to use Western-style weapons and military equipment. But, unfortunately, russian invaders continue to dominate the number of heavy artillery, aircraft, missile systems, tanks and armored vehicles. Every day of the war is the loss of defenders of Ukraine, the killing of civilians. The russians continue to kill people, destroy infrastructure, destroy the economy. To continue the struggle, we need more heavy weapons. This will bring victory over the terrorist state and peace on the European continent," Oleksii Reznikov said.
The Minister of Defense of Ukraine and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine thanked Ben Wallace for British assistance in effectively repelling russia's armed aggression and resolute solidarity and support for Great Britain in this difficult time for the Ukrainian state.
Valery Zaluzhnyi also briefed the British Secretary of State on Defense on the current situation at the front and spoke about the successful use of British military-technical assistance.
The Secretary of State for Defense noted the heroism of the Ukrainian military and assured that the United Kingdom would continue to support Ukraine in its struggle for independence and the restoration of territorial integrity.
"We have managed to unite the world in support of Ukraine. Cooperation between the United Kingdom and Ukraine will be as effective as possible," said the U.K. Secretary of State for Defense.
During the talks, the delegations discussed, in particular, the issue of further consolidation of efforts to repel the armed aggression of the Russian Federation and the consistent implementation of bilateral projects to strengthen the capabilities of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
The meeting was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Ukraine Melinda Simmons, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksandr Polishchuk, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Major General Kyrylo Budanov and Commander of the Ukrainian Navy Vice Admiral Oleksii Neizhpapa.
The Secretary of State for Defense of the United Kingdom Ben Wallace also laid flowers to the Stela in memory of the fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
It will be recalled that the United Kingdom is strongly supporting the defense capabilities of the Armed Forces. In particular, it is a question of providing high-tech NLAW anti-tank weapons even before the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the future, assistance in providing Ukraine with defense equipment will only increase - the British side has already provided for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - anti-tank weapons, air defense, unmanned aerial vehicles, night vision devices, communications, equipment and more.
With the assistance of the British side, work was organized to consolidate the efforts of partner countries in providing international technical assistance to Ukraine, in particular in the framework of the London Donors' Conference, the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine.
In cooperation with the United Kingdom, we provide logistical support for the supply of weapons and other means to Ukraine.
Attention is also focused on the development of capabilities for reconnaissance, air defense, coastal protection, counter-battery combat, as well as inflicting long-range fire damage on the enemy. And, of course, the training of our military is important.