British Prime Minister Boris Johnson flew out to Ukraine to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky during a surprise visit to the capital Kyiv, where he launched a major training operation for Ukrainian armed forces with the potential to train up to 10,000 soldiers every 120 days.

Johnson told Zelenskyy that the UK’s landmark programme could fundamentally change the equation of the war, ensuring the armed forces of Ukraine have the resilience they need to fight the Russian forces of President Vladimir Putin.

He was due to address a summit in Doncaster in northern England but tweeted to reveal he was in Kyiv instead.

“Mr President, Volodymyr, it is good to be in Kyiv again,” said Johnson.

In a statement from Downing Street, the prime minister stressed that the UK will be with Ukraine until they “ultimately prevail”.

“My visit today, in the depths of this war, is to send a clear and simple message to the Ukrainian people: the UK is with you, and we will be with you until you ultimately prevail,” said Johnson.

Johnson and Zelensky are said to have discussed the situation in Ukraine and how the latest UK-led programme would train and drill the armed forces of Ukraine using battle-proven British Army expertise, allowing them to accelerate their deployment, rebuild their forces, and scale-up their resistance.