Rishi Sunak dons all-black outfit as he visits Kyiv

Rishi Sunak dons casual puffer jacket and £190 Timberland boots to walk the streets of Kyiv as he promises President Zelensky another £50m of arms

• Rishi Sunak has made his first visit to Ukraine since becoming Prime Minister
• Met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv yesterday afternoon
• The UK PM donned all-black ensemble, wearing a puffer jacket and trousers

Rishi Sunak donned a practical all-black outfit as he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv yesterday afternoon.

The trip marks his first visit to Ukraine since taking office, with the Prime Minister, 42, describing being in the city as ‘deeply humbling’.

For the outing, during which he had his first face-to-face meeting with the Ukrainian President, Mr Sunak wore slim-cut black slacks and a white shirt, topped with a puffer jacket.

In keeping with the utilitarian style, the PM – who is a fan of Henry Herbert’s £1,295 bespoke suits – added brown Docker-style boots, tucking his trousers into them, eschewing a more formal look for practicality. 

His footwear appeared to be Timberland’s Premium Heritage 6-inch men’s boots, in light brown, which cost £190.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (right) has made his first visit to Ukraine since taking office, having his first face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left)

During the visit, during which he donned a practical all-black outfit, the PM laid a wreath at the Memory Wall of fallen defenders of Ukraine (pictured)

Rishi Sunak (left) and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) visit the Memory Wall of fallen defenders of Ukraine in Kyiv

The PM donned £190 Timberland Premium Heritage 6-inch men’s boots in light brown during the trip

Under his jacket, his shirt was open-necked, showing that the PM was not wearing a tie. 

His outfit mirrored that of President Zelensky, who also wore a single colour – in his case khaki green – donning slacks, boots, and a padded jacket.

During his time in Kyiv, Mr Sunak laid flowers at a memorial for the war dead and lit a candle at a memorial for victims of the Holodomor famine.   

A video of the meeting, posted by Mr Sunak’s Twitter account, shows him shaking hands with the Ukrainian leader in a snowy Kyiv.

‘Welcome. How are you?’ Mr Zelensky asks the Prime Minister.

‘Really good to see you,’ Mr Sunak says as Mr Zelensky gestures at the falling snow.  

Underneath his jacket, Mr Sunak wore an open-necked shirt, eschewing a tie and opting for a more casual look

During the surprise visit, the Prime Minister met with rescue teams – including a working dog – who he was snapped crouching down to pet

The pair are shown shaking hands in front of the Union flag and Ukraine’s flag, before holding a one-to-one meeting. 

The surprise visit follows intense bombardment by Vladimir Putin’s forces this week, with Ukraine saying Russia had rained down more than 148 missile strikes on critical infrastructure, leaving approximately 10million people without power.

During the trip, Mr Sunak confirmed a £50million package to help bolster Ukrainian air defences against Putin’s forces and Iranian-supplied drones. 

‘The courage of the Ukrainian people is an inspiration to the world,’ the Prime Minister said in comments alongside Zelensky at the President’s official residence, the Mariinskyi Palace. 

Mr Sunak said it was ‘deeply humbling to be in Kyiv’ during yesterday’s trip. He paid his respects to the war dead at a memorial in the city

The two men looked sombre as they paid their respects to those killed in conflict during yesterday’s outing

‘In years to come, we will tell our grandchildren of your story.’

Mr Sunak pledged that Britain ‘will stand with you until Ukraine has won the peace and security it needs and deserves and then we will stand with you as you rebuild your great country.’  

Friday saw a bombardment on Kyiv, with concerns that attacks on power plants could lead to a ‘complete shutdown’ as temperatures plummet and the first snow arrives in the city.

Images emerged of firefighters battling a blaze at a thermal power plant in the capital which had been hit by a Russian missile. 

The Prime Minister was shown around captured Russian military vehicles and hardware including Iranian-made drones, which have been used to target and bomb civilians in recent months. 

The PM looked uncharacteristically casual while meeting with President Zelensky, tucking his slim cut trousers into his brown boots

The two men took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Memory Wall of the Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in Kyiv

As well as meeting one-on-one with President Zelensky, Mr Sunak had a meeting with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

Mr Sunak said it was ‘deeply humbling’ to visit Kyiv ‘and to have the opportunity to meet those who are doing so much, and paying so high a price, to defend the principles of sovereignty and democracy.’   

Writing in English and Ukrainian, Mr Sunak said on Twitter after the meeting: ‘Britain knows what it means to fight for freedom. We are with you all the way @ZelenskyyUa’. 

Despite accepting an invitation from Mr Zelensky to come to Kyiv, Mr Sunak’s predecessor Liz Truss never actually made the journey during her 44 days in office.

The two leaders posed for the cameras as they shook hands for the first time outside President Zelensky’s official residence, with Mr Sunak donning a more traditional suit and tie

The Prime Minister and President Zelensky shared an embrace as the two leaders met face-to-face for the first time

The pair are shown shaking hands in front of the Union flag and Ukraine’s flag, before holding a one-to-one meeting

Before her premiership, Boris Johnson shared a friendly relationship with Mr Zelensky and visited Ukraine on multiple occasions as Prime Minister. 

He received widespread praise in the country for his strong backing of the country’s war effort.

Mr Sunak has been keen to reassure military leaders that there will be no change of stance under his leadership, although during his tenure as Chancellor under Johnson he was considered resistant to demands for higher defense spending.

The Prime Minister, who has spoken to Mr Zelensky on more than one occasion since entering Downing Street, used his appearance at the G20 this week to join with allies and other Western leaders to condemn Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

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