James Cleverly meets Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

The meeting in the war-torn nation’s capital came amid signs the expected Ukrainian counter-offensive against the Russian invasion may have started.

In a video posted to Mr Zelensky’s Facebook page, Mr Cleverly is heard saying that the UK “will continue backing you and your country until you are victorious”.

The Ukrainian president thanks the UK for the “big support” it has given his country.

When we made the commitment publicly that we will continue backing you and your country until you are victorious in your self-defence, we meant it

He wrote on Facebook: “During the meeting, we discussed important topical issues: Ukraine’s expectations from the Nato Summit in Vilnius, promotion of the Ukrainian peace formula and preparation of the global summit on its implementation, as well as the London international conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine.

“We are very grateful for the support that the UK has provided and continues to provide to Ukraine.”

Kyiv has long called for Ukraine to be admitted to Nato, but allies are divided about when and how any accession might happen as the war with Russia continues.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week said Ukraine’s “rightful place” is in Nato, at a gathering of European leaders in Moldova ahead of the key meeting of Nato leaders in Lithuania in July.

In the video from Kyiv, the Foreign Secretary is seen speaking of his previous visit to Ukraine in winter when it was “cold and it was dark”.

“But this time I can see there’s more life in the city. The traffic is heavier, which normally is a bad sign in a city. But I think for me it demonstrates what I mean to be true.

“And that is that the Ukrainian people are not going to allow themselves to be broken by this.

“And I think that, I think you’re very much leading by example.

“Even though there are drone attacks, even though there are alarms going off through the nights, even though Russia has tried throughout the winter, to break the infrastructure of your country, to break the will of your people, the Ukrainian people keep refusing to be broken, yourself included.”

He added: “The sunshine and the leaves and the flowers shouldn’t distract us from the fact that there is still very much work to be done.

“When we made the commitment publicly that we will continue backing you and your country until you are victorious in your self-defence, we meant it. When we said that we would do more and go further, we meant it.”