UK PM pledges continued support for Ukraine ahead of Zelensky visit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in the UK, where he will meet Andy Burnham as the new prime minister’s first international visitor.

Burnham has pledged to continue the UK’s “unwavering” support for Ukraine, while No 10 said the meeting on Monday “illustrates the strength of the relationship between the two nations”.

They will visit a naval base, where Burnham will announce the sharing of the intellectual property behind the UK’s new “Stone Cloak” electronic warfare system, enabling Ukraine to produce the technology at scale.

Prior to the meeting, Zelensky said the UK and Ukraine had “built the strongest relationship in the history of co-operation”.

He said the key priorities of the trip were air defence, maritime security and joint defence production that “strengthens both countries”, adding: “We appreciate that we can always count on principled decisions, leadership and support from Britain.”

Burnham told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg ahead of the visit that he was looking forward to it and that his support for Ukraine was “unwavering – it is 100%”.

The Stone Cloak jammers are the size of a tablet computer and are designed to block the detection of any drones they are fitted to.

The Ministry of Defence has already given thousands of the devices to Ukrainian forces to bolster their drone operations.

Downing Street said that following its deployment in Ukraine, the technology will be built into the UK’s next generation of long-range weapons.

It said this would include Project Brakestop, a government programme to develop low-cost cruise missiles – self-propelled guided weapons that fly like normal aircraft for much of their flight.

Burnham said in a statement on Sunday evening: “Stone Cloak is the best of homegrown British innovation and proven on the frontline, and it will be vital to protecting our security in both our countries.”

During Monday’s visit, the two leaders will also meet more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel who have spent the last three weeks taking part in a maritime exercise in the UK.

Exercise Sea Breeze is aimed at strengthening warfighting capabilities and counter-mine measures in the Black Sea.

Britain’s backing of Ukraine has been constant since Russia’s invasion four years ago, and the UK has committed £25bn in funding, external for the country’s warfighting efforts.

In one of his first calls after becoming prime minister last Monday, Burnham spoke to Zelensky and invited him to visit the UK “at the earliest opportunity”.

Zelensky wrote on X shortly afterwards: “I truly appreciate that the support for Ukraine and our people will remain steadfast.”

Burnham’s predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer, visited Kyiv on his final full day as Labour leader.

During that trip, he announced fresh funding worth £255m (€300m) for Ukraine’s fight against Russia and was awarded Ukraine’s Order of Freedom.

Asked if he was concerned about changes of leadership in Britain, and in France next year, Zelensky said: “Of course I’m afraid of changes, of course we are afraid because we are in the war each day.

“But again the priority is the relation between nations, not just between just people. I’m sure that these relations will not change, or we have to do our best not to lose such very good relations.”

He added: “I hope we will never lose strong relations with the UK during or after the war.” Sir Keir replied: “You won’t.”

Burnham told the BBC in his first major interview since becoming prime minister: “My support for Ukraine is unwavering – it is 100%. And I will do what, in Ukraine, people think is the right thing that they need.”

He also paid tribute to Sir Keir’s “huge personal support” for Zelensky, adding: “He will get exactly the same from me.”

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