08 February 2023 , 21:26
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President Volodymyr Zelensky melted hearts as he ignored security protocols to give a hug to a plaintive Ukrainian news reporter.
Natalia Goncharova, from Kyiv, who grilled Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on fighter jets and Russian money laundering without getting a good answer, got the best answer she could from her own leader.
The smiling Ukrainian premier didn't think twice about pacing away from his podium and giving Natalia a hug after she asked him for one.
Asked if it was a good hug Natalia, from Kyiv, told The Mirror: “The best.”
During the visit Ukraine's leader said he would be "intensifying our diplomacy" to pave the way for the UK to give Typhoon jets to Kyiv, suggesting the decision was not totally dependent on London.
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President Volodymyr Zelensky hugs Ukrainian reporter Natalia Goncharova (Daily Mirror)President Zelensky, speaking through a translator at a joint press conference, said: "When it comes to Typhoons, not everything depends just on the decision of Great Britain.
"I will be working in that direction because this is how we have been able to change many things.
"We are intensifying our diplomacy and I do believe within a day we will be able to meet with a dozen EU leaders and then we will go back home.
"All of these conversations, they have to take place quickly."
The two leaders during the press conference (PA)Responding to the Prime Minister saying how long it takes to train a Typhoon fighter pilot from scratch, Mr Zelensky said: "I didn't even know it takes three years to train a pilot like that.
"Come on, we will be sending you pilots who have already trained for two and a half-years."
After the speech, ex-PM Boris Johnson Mr Johnson piled pressure on No10 by putting a statement shortly after the speech saying the UK should give Ukraine more military supplies.
The ex-PM said: "It is time to give the Ukrainians the extra equipment they need to defeat Putin and to restore peace to Ukraine.
The pair during the press conference (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)"That means longer range missiles and artillery. It means more tanks. It means planes.
"We have more than 100 Typhoon jets. We have more than 100 Challenger 2 tanks.
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"The best single use for any of these items is to deploy them now for the protection of the Ukrainians - not least because that is how we guarantee our own long-term security."
The visit is only Mr Zelensky's second outside Ukraine since the war began after he made a whirlwind trip to the United States in December.
Rishi Sunak said of his Ukrainian counterpart: “President Zelensky’s visit to the UK is a testament to his country’s courage, determination and fight, and a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries.”