President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Britain Monday on his whirlwind European tour, as the staunch ally of Kyiv promised to give Ukraine hundreds more missiles and attack drones in an effort to change the course of the war.

Zelenskyy landed by helicopter at Chequers, the British leader's official country retreat, and was greeted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

It’s Zelenskyy’s second trip to the U.K. since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Zelenskyy thanked Britain for its support so far, and said Ukraine were "in way of preparing very important counteroffensive steps."

Speaking together with Sunak in the Chequers' gardens, he declined to go into detail to not compromise the operation.

"We really need some more time, not too much," he told reporters.

"There are no secrets from our friends, but there are some secrets from our neighbours. That's why we have to prepare."

The U.K. has become one of Ukraine's major military allies, sending Kyiv short-range missiles and Challenger tanks and training 15,000 Ukrainian troops on British soil.

Last week Britain announced it had sent Ukraine Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which have a range of more than 250 kilometers (150 miles) — the first known shipment of the weaponry that Kyiv has long sought from its allies.

Sunak's office said that on Monday Britain would confirm it was giving Ukraine hundreds more air defense missiles, as well as “long-range attack drones" with a range of more than 200 kilometers (120 miles).

Sunak will also push allies to deliver more support to Ukraine at a meeting of Group of Seven leaders in Japan later this week, Downing Street said.

--------
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm
Subscribe to Bloomberg Originals: https://www.youtube.com/BloombergTV

Bloomberg Quicktake brings you global social video spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world.

Connect with us on…
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg
Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergQuicktakeNow
Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake