Rishi Sunak arrived in Kyiv for a surprise visit to meet Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday 12 January, as the UK announced it will provide £2.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine over the coming year. It comes as the Ukrainian president presses allies in the West to provide the country with more support to fight back against Russian forces, amid fears that interest in the war is flagging among allies as the conflict drags on. The crisis in the Middle East as Israel continues to bombard Gaza has also turned global attention away from the battle against Vladimir Putin.