Defence Secretary Grant Shapps visits President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has visited Kyiv and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Travelling to Kyiv on Wednesday with the UK Chief of the Defence Staff, Mr Shapps held meetings with his counterpart, Rustem Umerov, and made a personal commitment to continue the UK’s resolute support to Ukraine.

The visit provided an opportunity to hold further discussions on military support with Mr Umerov.

Mr Shapps said: "It was an honour to meet President Zelenskyy in Kyiv to assure him that the UK will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, as we have since Putin illegally invaded Crimea nearly ten years ago.

"We have trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, delivered hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, and provided millions of pounds of economic and humanitarian aid to help Ukraine’s citizens reclaim and rebuild what has been taken from them by Putin’s barbaric invasion.

"Having heard the experiences of so many Ukrainians affected by this war, including a family I hosted in my home for a year, I am committed to maintaining the UK’s military support – particularly as the freezing winter weather approaches."

The trip to Ukraine comes at an early point in Mr Shapps’ career as Defence Secretary.

He was appointed to the post at the end of August, having previously held a series of senior government positions.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...