The UK Is To Reopen Its Embassy In Kyiv, Boris Johnson Has Announced

The diplomatic mission will open its doors in the Ukrainian capital next week, the prime minister said.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Ben Stansall via PA Wire/PA Images

The British embassy in Kyiv is set to reopen, Boris Johnson has announced.

The diplomatic mission will open its doors in the Ukrainian capital next week, the prime minister said at a press conference in New Delhi.

It comes after Johnson made a surprise visit to the city to meet president Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month.

Johnson said the “extraordinary fortitude and success” of Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people meant they could reopen the embassy.

He added: “I want to pay tribute to those British diplomats who remained elsewhere in the region throughout this period.”

The latest move comes as other European countries return to the capital following a retreat of Russian forces. 

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “The extraordinary fortitude and success of President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people in resisting Russian forces, means we will shortly be re-opening our British Embassy in Kyiv.

“I want to pay tribute to the bravery and resilience of the Embassy team and their work throughout this period”.

Britain moved the embassy to the western city of Lviv in February shortly before the invasion.

Truss then announced in early March that ambassador Melinda Simmons had left the country altogether due to the “serious security situation”.