UK to reopen embassy in Kyiv next week: PM Johnson

The UK embassy in Kyiv, shut earlier this year due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will reopen next week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday.

"We will very shortly, next week, reopen our embassy in Ukraine's capital city," he said on a two-day visit to India.

London moved its main diplomatic mission in Ukraine from Kyiv to the western city of Lviv in February, shortly before Russia ordered in its troops.


In early March, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said ambassador Melinda Simmons left the country because of the "serious security situation".

A number of Western countries, including France, Spain and Italy, have either reopened their embassies in Kyiv or announced an imminent return.

Truss said in a separate statement in London the reopening of the UK embassy was due to the "extraordinary fortitude and success" of Ukraine's resistance to Russian forces.

"I want to pay tribute to the bravery and resilience of the embassy team and their work throughout this period."

No exact date was given for the reopening but the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the embassy premises were currently being made secure.

Despite the reopening, the FCDO is still advising all UK nationals against travelling to Ukraine.