Britain’s new PM Burnham to host Zelensky for first visit by foreign leader
Zelensky is expected to renew calls to boost defence as both Moscow and Kyiv intensify drone and missile strikes, with US-led negotiations on resolving the conflict at an impasse while Washington’s attention has been diverted to the Iran war.
Zelensky is set to visit a British naval base with Burnham and hear from both countries’ armed forces personnel who are involved in training Ukrainian service members for battle, the prime minister’s Downing Street office announced late Sunday.
It said Burnham would vow “to continue the unbreakable bond between the two nations”, echoing what the new UK leader told Zelensky in a call last Monday within hours of replacing Keir Starmer.
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“Britain stands with Ukraine, shoulder to shoulder, and our support remains unwavering,” Burnham, who took office on July 20, said in a statement.
“Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve, and we will not back down until we achieve long-lasting and just peace for Ukraine.”
London also announced it will share the intellectual property behind a new battle-tested electronic jamming capability it has dubbed “Stone Cloak” with Kyiv.
The size of a tablet computer and attached to drones, the military-grade jammers can hinder Russian air defence systems from tracking and targeting such weapons in-flight, Downing Street said.
It noted the device stemmed from the “rapid innovation” being developed between the two allies under a 100-year partnership pact signed in January last year.
Thousands of the jammers have already been gifted to Kyiv to help its armed forces maintain drone operations, according to London.
Following their roll-out and potential mass production in Ukraine, Stone Cloak will be built into the next generation of UK deep-strike capabilities, it noted.
“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,” Burnham said.
‘Drone deal’ with Britain
In another sign of Ukraine’s deepening defence ties with Britain, Zelensky told UK broadcaster Sky News he wanted to “open a new page”, signing a “drone deal” and building a drone factory in Britain.
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“We’re ready to share all our experience with the UK, and I hope that the UK will do the same, so we need to make this drone deal very strong,” Zelensky said in the interview broadcast Sunday.
He admitted that “we don’t have enough missiles to defend”, referring to the ultra-fast Russia ballistic missiles that have put Ukraine’s air-defence system under strain in a recent spate of deadly attacks.
Moscow “can increase the production of ballistic missiles and that’s why we need air defence as quick as possible”, Zelensky said.
During Monday’s visit, Burnham and Zelensky will meet some of the approximately 200 Ukrainian military personnel and sailors who have been in Britain for the past three weeks participating in a maritime security and counter-mine exercise.
It was held to prepare for future missions in the Black Sea.
Downing Street noted the UK’s total support for Ukraine has reached £25 billion ($33 billion) since Russia’s full-scale invasion more than four years ago, including £16 billion in direct military assistance.
Zelensky is due in Washington on Tuesday, where he will have talks with US President Donald Trump, a White House official said last week.
The Ukrainian leader is also expected to attend the funeral of US senator Lindsey Graham, a supporter of Ukraine who died earlier this month.
Trump and Zelensky have had a fraught relationship that has veered from a shouting match in the Oval Office in February 2025 to warmer ties in recent months.
The US president told Zelensky on the sidelines of a NATO summit this month that he was giving Ukraine permission to build US-designed Patriot air defence systems capable of downing ballistic missiles.
Washington has also advanced bipartisan legislation targeting countries buying Russian energy – potentially clearing the way for stronger pressure on Moscow.
Trump’s support for Ukrainian defence comes as the president faces domestic pressure to end the Middle East war, which has cost his country $37.5 billion and raised concerns over straining US weapons stockpiles.
“I understand the United States is focusing on the Middle East,” Zelensky told Sky News.
“I try to manage it now with some Europeans and with Americans and with some other countries.
“This, for me, it’s a big challenge, a big challenge for Ukraine.”
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)