Ukrainian president, British PM discuss security

In this file image provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, center, and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson walk on the square where damaged Russian military vehicles are displayed in Kyiv, Ukraine, June 17, 2022. (UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE VIA AP)

KIEV/MOSCOW – Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for his government’s decision to provide Ukraine with 1 billion pounds (about $1.2 billion) in security aid and a new military support package of 100 million pounds (about $120 million).

Zelensky tweeted on Tuesday that he and PM Johnson discussed security issues.

The parties also discussed the issues of global food security and security guarantees for Ukraine.

Zelensky also thanked Britain for the willingness to host the next Ukraine Recovery Conference next year.

READ MORE: US announces additional security assistance to Ukraine

On July 4, Johnson announced that Scotland and Wales together approved the allocation of security aid for Ukraine worth 100 million pounds.

Ukraine's GDP will shrink at least 35 percent this year due to the conflict with Russia, said PM 

Denys Shmyhal

Earlier on June 29, the British government said that London would provide another 1 billion pounds in military aid for Kiev, taking support to more than 2.3 billion pounds since the start of conflict between Ukraine and Russia. 

Ukraine's economy to shrink 35%

Ukraine's gross domestic product will shrink at least 35 percent this year due to the conflict with Russia, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on Tuesday citing Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

While addressing the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Switzerland, Shmyhal said that the Ukrainian economy has started recovering from the "shock coma" of the first weeks of the conflict.

The government carried out a "relatively successful" grain sowing campaign and resumed logistics across the western border, Shmyhal said, noting that the economy still faces many challenges.

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Smoke rises from the front lines during a fierce battle between Ukrainian and Russian troops, with farming fields in the foreground, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, July 4, 2022. (EFREM LUKATSKY / AP)

According to the State Statistics Service, Ukraine's GDP contracted 15.1 percent year on year in January-March 2022.

As per the National Bank of Ukraine’s estimate, the rate of economic contraction in the second half of the year will be lower, but in general, Ukraine's real GDP will decrease by more than 30 percent over the course of the year. 

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