Volodymyr Zelenskyy has received a standing ovation and cheers as he began his historic address to parliament during a surprise visit to the UK.

The Ukrainian president is the first foreign leader to address parliamentarians in Westminster Hall, the oldest part of parliament, since former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now in jail, in 2012.

Wearing his usual outfit of military fatigues, Mr Zelenskyy entered the famous hall, where the Queen’s’ coffin lay in state, to a standing ovation and cheers from parliamentarians.

Zelenskyy addresses MPs – live politics latest

He said: “We will always come out on top of evil.

“We know freedom will win. We know Russia will lose.”

He thanked “all the people of England and Scotland, of Wales and Northern Ireland” for their support, on behalf of “our workers who are now in the trenches under enemy artillery fire”.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak received a handful of mentions from his Ukrainian counterpart, especially as he thanked the PM for providing more equipment to his country.

After saying he will “have the honour” to meet King Charles later today, Mr Zelenskyy presented the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lyndsay Hoyle, with a signed helmet from a Ukrainian Air Force pilot.

A message on the helmet read: “We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it.”

He added that King Charles was an Air Force pilot “and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king”.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson, who has a close relationship with Mr Zelenskyy and has been one of Ukraine’s most vocal backers, was spotted in the crowd of politicians.

The Ukrainian leader singled out Mr Johnson, thanking him personally for extending “your helping hand when the world had not yet come to understand how to react”.

The wartime leader said the UK “all showed your grit and character” and the “strong British character” at the beginning of the war.

“You did not compromise your ideals and thus you didn’t compromise the spirit of this great alliance. Thank you very much,” he added.

He received one of many ovations after saying: “Do you have a feeling that the evil will crumble once again? I can see in your eyes now we think the same way as you do.

“We know freedom will win. We know. We know Russia will lose.

“And we really know the victory. The victory will change the world. And this will be a change that the world has long needed.”

Winston Churchill also got a mention as Mr Zelenskyy said two and a half years ago he came to London, when he had just been made president, and sat in Winston Churchill’s armchair “from which war orders were given” at the Churchill War Rooms.

“I certainly felt something, but it is only now that I know what the feeling was – and all Ukrainians know it perfectly well too,” he told parliamentarians.

“It is the feeling of how bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your bravery, from all of us.”

The Ukrainian president arrived in the UK just before 10.30am on an RAF plane at Stansted Airport, where Prime Minister Rishi Sunak greeted him.

Both leaders travelled to Downing Street in a cavalcade before they entered Number 10 to clapping from behind the doors for the president and his sizeable security detail, something usually only reserved for a new prime minister.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player


0:43

Rishi Sunak welcomed Zelenskyy

After entering No 10, Mr Zelenskyy thanked Britain for its “big support from the first days of full-scale invasion” and said his country has “very good relations with Rishi”.

The visit is only Mr Zelenskyy’s second visit outside Ukraine since Russia invaded last February. He travelled to the United States just before Christmas and stopped off in Poland on the way back.

Mr Zelenskyy is set to meet King Charles at Buckingham Palace this afternoon and will visit also Ukrainian troops training in the UK.

Moments after Mr Zelenskyy arrived, the UK imposed further sanctions on companies supplying equipment to Russia for the war and Russians connected to “nefarious financial networks”, helping the Kremlin elites maintain wealth and power.

Mr Sunak is set to discuss further support for Ukraine through more equipment and training.