UK defence chief visits Kyiv, discusses ‘what can't be talked about yet’

UK defence secretary Ben Wallace has paid an unannounced visit to Kyiv and met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov, it was revealed on Wednesday.

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The ministers discussed Ukraine’s prospects at the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius, the delivery of long-range Storm Shadow missiles, and further military support, Ukraine’s defence ministry said in a statement.

Mr Wallace said that the Storm Shadow missiles bolstered Ukraine’s ability to counter Russian long-range capabilities targeting civilians and civilian critical infrastructure.

In turn, the Ukrainian minister thanked the UK for its military assistance and further support, "as well as such ‘goodies’ as Storm Shadow and many other things that I cannot talk about yet."

"And all this Ukraine received thanks to the personal involvement of Ben Wallace, his leadership and the efforts of his team," Mr Reznikov was quoted as saying.

Earlier this month, the UK confirmed sending long-range capabilities, a first in terms of Western military support to Ukraine.

The operating range of the Storm Shadow missile is from 290 to 560 km depending on the modification.

The UK is one of the leaders in terms of military support for Ukraine, having championed the delivery of Challenger tanks and led the so-called fighter jet coalition.