British premier says ‘Middle East conflict’ won’t change UK’s support to Ukraine

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by phone on Friday to "reiterate the UK's support" to Kyiv.

A statement released by the prime minister's office read: "The prime minister underscored the UK's long term and unwavering commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and reiterated that the conflict in the Middle East would not change that."

The principle of a rules based order, in which people could live in peace and stability, needed to be protected both in Ukraine and the Middle East, Sunak told the Ukrainian president.

Zelenskyy also had the opportunity to update Sunak on the situation on the battlefield and "the leaders praised the courage and success of Ukraine's Armed Forces as they continued to push Russian forces back."

"They also discussed the situation in the Black Sea and underlined the importance of ensuring grain was able to depart Ukrainian ports. The UK would continue to support Ukraine's efforts to keep grain following, and work with allies to coordinate defensive support to help protect critical national infrastructure, the Prime Minister added," said the statement.