Boris Johnson
Boris JohnsonReuters

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Friday, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announcing a British-led program to train up to 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers every four months, BBC News reported.

Zelenskyy described Johnson as Ukraine’s “great friend.” The visit was Johnson’s second since Russia’s invasion in February.

The two leaders held a press conference during which Johnson said the project would use British expertise to train Ukrainian forces to fight the Russian military.

"As Ukrainian soldiers fire UK missiles in defence of your nation's sovereignty, they do so also in defence of the very freedoms we take for granted,” Johnson said.

"That is why I have offered President Zelensky a major new military training program that could change the equation of this war - harnessing that most powerful of forces, the Ukrainian determination to win.”

He added: "Two months on from my last visit, the Ukrainian grit, determination and resilience is stronger than ever, and I know that unbreakable resolve will long outlive the vain ambitions of President Putin."

Johnson’s office said that the program would allow Ukrainian troops to "accelerate their deployment, rebuild their forces and scale-up their resistance” with soldiers learning "battle winning skills for the front line, as well as basic medical training, cyber-security and counter explosive tactics.”

Other nations will also be participating in the training.

(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)