Burnham to host Zelenskyy in first foreign visit as PM, pledging unwavering Ukraine support
Andy Burnham will open the doors of No. 10 to Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a sign of his continued support for Kyiv
Andy Burnham will welcome Volodymyr Zelenskyy today as his first international visitor since becoming Prime Minister, maintaining that UK support for Ukraine remains "unwavering".
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The new prime minister will open the doors of Downing Street to the Ukrainian president a week after moving in himself, which No. 10 said emphasises the Government’s continued backing for Kyiv under his leadership.
The state leaders are expected to visit a naval base where Mr Burnham will announce that Britain will hand over the intellectual property behind its new “Stone Cloak” electronic warfare system.
The tablet-sized device will allow Ukraine to produce the technology at scale and block Russian detection of any drones it is fitted to.
The jammers have already been provided in their thousands to Ukraine by the Ministry of Defence to strengthen their drone operations.
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In a statement, Mr Burnham said: “Britain stands with Ukraine, shoulder to shoulder, and our support remains unwavering.
“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.
“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.”
The technology, once deployed in Ukraine, will be part of the UK’s next generation of long-range strike weapons, which include Project Brakestop - the Government’s initiative to create cruise missiles at a reduced cost.
As part of the visit, the leaders will meet over 200 Ukrainian military personnel who have spent the past three weeks in the UK participating in Exercise Sea Breeze, which is focused on strengthening warfighting capabilities and counter-mine measures in the Black Sea.
Mr Burnham spoke to the Ukrainian President in one of his first calls after entering No.10 last Monday and extended the invite for Mr Zelenskyy to visit “at the earliest opportunity”.
The new prime minister, who has little foreign policy experience from his previous time in government, had pledged to maintain the resolute support that his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer, had for Ukraine before entering No 10.
Sir Keir visited Kyiv on his final full day as Labour leader.