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Cameron vows UK support for Ukraine won’t waver in trip to Kyiv

Britain's former Prime Minister, David Cameron, leaves 10, Downing Street after being appointed Foreign Secretary in a Cabinet reshuffle on Nov. 13, 2023, in London.    (Carl Court/Getty Images North America/TNS)
By Aliaksandr Kudrytski Bloomberg News

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron chose Kyiv as the destination for his first trip abroad since returning to government and gave a personal assurance to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Britain will maintain support for Ukraine “for however long it takes.”

Zelenskyy told the former U.K. premier that it’s “a pity” that some of the world’s attention has been distracted away from Russia’s attack on Ukraine by the Israel-Hamas war, and said such a “dividing of focus really doesn’t help.”

Cameron responded by pledging that he will work to understand Ukraine’s needs and how to foster effective communications among Kyiv’s allies “to make sure the attention is here in Ukraine,” according to a video posted on Zelenskyy’s X account.

“What I want to say by being here is that we will continue to give you the moral support, the diplomatic support, the economic support, but above the military support that you need,” said Cameron, who was appointed Monday by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. “Not just this year and next year but for however long it takes.”

Cameron, who was prime minister between 2010 and 2016, also made reference to one of his successors, Boris Johnson, who earned praise from Zelenskyy for his staunch backing for the war effort during his time in office.

“I’ve had some disagreements with my friend Boris Johnson and we’ve known each other for 40 years,” Cameron told Zelenskyy. “His support for you was the finest thing.”