British PM Rishi Sunak Will Continue To Fully Support Ukraine

JAKARTA - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday that Britain's support for Ukraine will be steadfast and as strong as ever under his leadership, said a spokesman for 10 Downing Street, the UK PM's official residence and office.

"The prime minister said President Zelensky can count on his government to stand in continued solidarity," the spokesman said.

"The two leaders agreed on the need to continue to suppress Putin's barbaric regime through continued economic sanctions," the spokesman continued.

Meanwhile, President Zelensky said he believed Britain's "leadership in defense of democracy and freedom" would be strengthened.

"Ukraine and Britain have reached new heights in relations of late, but we still have the potential to strengthen our cooperation," he said in an evening video address, adding he had invited Sunak to visit Ukraine.

Rishi Sunak has assumed the role of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after meeting with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. The day before, he was elected as the new leader of the Conservative Party, after Boris Johnson and Penny Mourdaunt withdrew from the race to replace the resigning Liz Truss.

It is known, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been a person who fully supports Ukraine, since Russia invaded. He has visited Ukraine three times since the war, with the most recent one coming on Ukraine's Independence Day on August 24.