© EPA / ANDY RAIN Yvette Cooper was appointed to the position just a week ago.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will visit Kyiv on Friday, her first foreign trip since taking office, Reuters reports. The visit will be accompanied by the announcement of an additional 142 million pounds ($192.75 million) in aid to Ukraine to prepare for the winter.
According to the British government, in Kyiv, Cooper plans to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior officials to demonstrate the United Kingdom's continued support for defending Ukraine from Russian aggression.
“The security of Ukraine is key to the security of the United Kingdom,” the minister stressed in a statement.
The additional aid package, which is part of a program launched back in June, includes $135 million for humanitarian support to frontline communities and $57 million for the restoration and protection of critical energy infrastructure under Russian attack.
The visit comes amid rising tensions following the incursion of Russian drones into the airspace of Poland, a NATO member.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the UK announced its intention to mass-produce Ukrainian interceptor drones to counter Russian missile and drone strikes as part of a wider joint defence production programme between the UK and Ukraine.
