Burnham pledges continued UK support in Zelensky visit

Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged that Britain is “with Ukraine 100 percent” as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the UK on Monday, becoming the first international leader welcomed by Burnham since he entered No 10.

The meeting, held at a naval base in Portsmouth, was intended to underscore the UK’s continued backing for Kyiv as Ukraine seeks more help defending itself against Russia and as ceasefire efforts continue.

“To put it simply, Volodymyr, I want you to know that we’ve got your back, you can count on me and you can count on us,” Burnham said. “You can count on the UK for as long as it takes.”

Addressing Zelensky, Burnham added: “I am personally with you 100%, Mr President, and I will honour every commitment this country has made to Ukraine in full.” He said it was “no accident” that Zelensky was the first foreign leader he had received, saying the visit was meant to “send a very clear message.”

Zelensky said Ukraine’s relationship with the UK was “stronger than ever.” Asked whether he was concerned about changes in leadership in Britain and France, 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.”

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

Burnham also announced that Britain will share the intellectual property behind its new “Stone Cloak” electronic warfare system, allowing Ukraine to produce the technology at scale. The tablet-sized jammers are designed to block detection of drones they are fitted to. The Ministry of Defence has already supplied thousands of the devices to Ukrainian forces.

Burnham said the technology “will help them to hit their targets and help save Ukrainian lives.” Downing Street said that, after its deployment in Ukraine, the system will be built into the UK’s next generation of long-range weapons, including Project Brakestop, a programme to develop low-cost cruise missiles.

The two leaders also met more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel who have spent three weeks in the UK taking part in Exercise Sea Breeze, a maritime exercise aimed at strengthening warfighting capabilities and counter-mine measures in the Black Sea.

Burnham said Britain would support Ukraine in seeking a “full and unconditional ceasefire.” He said the UK would “keep up the pressure, pushing for a ceasefire and a resumption of negotiations which must have Ukraine at the table and include a strong voice for Europe too.”

Al Jazeera reported that Zelensky was stopping in England on his way to Washington, DC, for talks with US President Donald Trump on efforts to end the war. The outlet said Burnham is the fifth British prime minister to deal with Zelensky since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

The UK has committed £25 billion in support for Ukraine since 2022, including £16 billion in direct military assistance, according to Downing Street figures cited by Al Jazeera. The BBC reported that Burnham invited Zelensky to visit the UK “at the earliest opportunity” during one of his first calls after becoming prime minister.

Zelensky told Sky News on Sunday that he wanted to sign a strong “drone deal” with Britain to boost production and technology sharing. “We don’t have enough missiles to defend” against Russia’s ballistic missiles, he said, adding that Moscow “can increase the production of ballistic missiles and that’s why we need air defence as quick as possible.”