‘Buying milk will never be the same’: UK ambassador to Ukraine hugged at supermarket

Melinda Simmons, the UK’s representative in Kyiv, says she was hugged by a resident to say thank you for Britain’s help

Melinda Simmons is the UK ambassador to Ukraine (REUTERS)

The British ambassador to Ukraine has said she was hugged in a supermarket by a Ukrainian man who wished to express his gratitude for the UK’s support for his country.

Melinda Simmons, the UK’s ambassador in Kyiv, described the experience in a tweet on Monday morning, not long after the British embassy reopened in the Ukrainian capital.

“I popped out for milk, went to pay for it and got a huge spontaneous hug from the man at the checkout,” she wrote.

“‘Thank you for all the UK has done,’ he said. I said, ‘thank you for all Ukraine is doing’. The queue of people behind me were dabbing their eyes. Buying milk will never be the same again,” she added.

The gesture came after Britain almost doubled its military aid contribution to Kyiv, promising to provide a further £1.3bn to the Ukrainian authorities. The UK has already sent equipment including anti-tank weapons to help Ukraine defend its territory.

"Putin’s brutal attack is not only causing untold devastation in Ukraine – it is also threatening peace and security across Europe," prime minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.

This message was reiterated by British defence secretary Ben Wallace, who accused Mr Putin and his cronies of fascism, soon after the UK announced a new raft of sanctions against the Kremlin. These measures targeted Russian trade in goods such as platinum and palladium.

Speaking in London on Monday, the minister said: "Through the invasion of Ukraine, Putin and his inner circle of generals are now mirroring fascism and tyranny of 77 years ago, repeating the errors of the last century’s totalitarian regime.”

The defence secretary stressed that Russian generals should also be held accountable for their actions, saying they are complicit in war crimes.

Mr Wallace also expressed his belief that Ukraine could win the war. “It is very possible that Ukraine will break the Russian army to the extent that they either have to go back to pre-February or they have to effectively fold in on itself,” he said.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky echoed this view, saying: "The road to is difficult, but we have no doubt that we will win."

Meanwhile, over in Moscow, Mr Putin said his invasion of Ukraine was a response to the threat posed to his country by the West. He saw it was “preparing to take” Russia, without providing any evidence to support his assertion.

In response, Mr Wallace said the Russian leader’s claim was false. “I think he is believing what he wants to believe - a slight shine of desperation. But let me put on the record categorically: Nato, Britain, eastern Europe is not planning to invade Russia and never has done.”