A Ukrainian MP has praised the British public for their support on the six-month anniversary of the start of the war there.

Oleksiy Goncharenko told GB News: “Thank you for covering all these six months of the war going on in our country and definitely for us today it is an absolutely special Independence Day, as we understand it…because during these six months, thousands and thousands of the best Ukrainian people gave their lives.

“So it is a very important day for us today and thank you for your congratulations and to all UK people for all your support. We are feeling from them all these six months.”

Asked about retaliatory strikes from Russia by Eamon Holmes during Breakfast on GB News, he said: “We are concerned about the many people left in big cities especially here for this day because they feel that it can be dangerous to be in the centre of Kyiv today.

“Russia really can make some new awful attacks like they many times did, but these days they can be more concentrated and they all often speaking about some attacks on decision making centres like they call it.

“What do they mean, nobody knows. But also it’s possible that Russia will attack some monuments today.

He added: “Nobody knows what they will do. They’re really mad, but they don’t care about people’s lives so it is very possible that they will organise some provocation today.

“But in any case, we are prepared because we saw everything from them. All atrocities are possible and…all of them were done by Russians and they continue to do it. So we are concerned but we are cautious…”

Asked if there is still the will to fight, Mr Goncharenko said: “It’s a big paradox about the biggest hope in Ukrainian history for 31 years is now the biggest number of people saying that they’re proud to be Ukrainians – now the whole nation is united.

“We all feel, yes, we are paying full price for not only destroyed cities’ infrastructure but most importantly killed men and women and children.

“That is the worst possible price but it makes us very strong and morale is extremely high.

He added: “Again, about people who are abroad we prefer to call them not refugees, but externally displaced people. The absolute majority of them are waiting to come back home.

“And the only problem is that…our cities are occupied and some of the houses in the cities which are not occupied but these houses are destroyed.

“But these people, most of them will come back and they’re waiting for this moment and maybe some of them are watching GB News now.

“I just want to say congratulations and that we are waiting for them back home after we win this war.”