Outgoing British prime minister Boris Johnson met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day six months into the Russian invasion.

“What happens in Ukraine matters to us all, which is why I am here today to deliver the message that the United Kingdom is with you and will be with you for the days and months ahead, and you can and will win,” Johnson said in Kyiv, adding that Putin was “insane” to invade. “For the past six months, the United Kingdom has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine, supporting this sovereign country to defend itself from this barbaric and illegal invader,” Johnson said. Independence Day is a state holiday celebrated on August 24 to commemorate Ukraine’s 1991 Declaration of Independence from the Soviet Union. “If we’re paying in our energy bills for the evils of Vladimir Putin, the people of Ukraine are paying in their blood,” Johnson said amid mounting concerns over Europe’s worsening energy crisis.

Johnson, affectionately Ukrainicized as “Borys Johnsoniuk,” has consistently ranked as the most popular foreign politician in Ukraine over his forceful support for the country as it tries to fend off Russia’s assault. A light-hearted petition to give Johnson Ukrainian citizenship and make him the country’s prime minister garnered thousands of signatures in July before making its way to Ukraine’s official petitions site, according to Reuters.

“We all heard this news with sadness,” Zelenskyy said in a statement following Johnson’s ouster as prime minister last month. “Not only me, but also the entire Ukrainian society, which is very sympathetic to you. We have no doubt that Great Britain’s support will be preserved, but your personal leadership and charisma made it special.”

Zelenskyy awarded Johnson on Wednesday with a parting gift: an Order of Liberty “reflecting the work that Boris has been doing for our country and all of Europe.” The award comes closely on the heels of a similar action by Johnson, who presented Zelenskyy last month with the Sir Winston Churchill Leadership Award. “President Zelenskyy’s leadership through his country’s darkest days has inspired the world over. His fortitude and tenacity have changed the course of the war despite the odds being weighed heavily against him,” read a statement issued by the International Churchill Society.

Johnson’s trip coincided with London’s announcement of a new $63.5 million military aid package for Ukraine. This latest tranche of security assistance will include 2,000 drones and loitering munitions. “This package of unmanned air systems will be a step up in the Ukrainian’s current capability, improving their long range surveillance and defensive targeting ability,” Johnson’s office said in a press statement.

Mark Episkopos is a national security reporter for the National Interest.

Image: Reuters.