UK PM Boris Johnson receives Ukraine's highest honour for a foreigner

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented outgoing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Ukraine's Order of Liberty medal on Wednesday for supporting it in the face of Russian aggression.

Zelenskyy said he was giving Johnson the award to reflect "what Boris did and is doing for our country and the whole of Europe."

The award ceremony came during what might be the UK Prime Miniter's final surprise visit to Ukraine in his current role as the country celebrated its 31st independence day.

"I want to thank you and the people of Ukraine for the incredible honour that you have done me," Johnson said. "I told you (when Russia invaded) that we were shoulder to shoulder with you and that is as true today as it was in that horrific moment."

While meeting President Zelenskyy to mark 31 years of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union, the outgoing leader said Britain’s latest package of 2,000 state-of-the-art drones and loitering munitions will enable Ukraine to better track and target Russian forces.

The unmanned air systems are described as a step up in Ukraine’s current capability, improving their long-range surveillance and defensive targeting ability.

It includes 850 hand-launched Black Hornet micro-drones, which are specifically designed for the use in towns and villages, and are deployed to detect approaching enemy forces.

According to Downing Street, military personnel can be trained to fly the helicopter drones, which are smaller than a mobile phone, in under 20 minutes.

Each drone feeds back live video and still images to allow forces on the ground to defend urban areas safely.

The UK government said it continues to expand the training of Ukrainian military personnel.

ALSO WATCH: Ukraine marks Independence Day six months after start of war