Zelensky arrives in UK for first meeting with new PM Burnham, technology-sharing deal announced

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the UK to meet with Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Monday, the first international visitor to Burnham since he took office. In one of his first calls after becoming prime minister the previous Monday, Burnham spoke to Zelensky and invited him to visit the UK at the earliest opportunity, according to BBC reporting.

During the visit, Burnham announced the sharing of intellectual property behind the UK's Stone Cloak electronic warfare system, enabling Ukraine to produce the technology at scale. 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 Stone Cloak devices to Ukrainian forces to bolster their drone operations. Burnham said in a Sunday evening statement that Stone Cloak is proven on the frontline and will be vital to protecting security in both countries.

Following deployment in Ukraine, Stone Cloak technology will be built into the UK's next generation of long-range weapons, including Project Brakestop, a government program to develop low-cost cruise missiles, per BBC reporting. During Monday's visit, the two leaders met more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel who spent the last three weeks in a maritime exercise in the UK. Exercise Sea Breeze is aimed at strengthening warfighting capabilities and counter-mine measures in the Black Sea.

Burnham pledged to continue the UK's unwavering support for Ukraine. He told the BBC that his support was 100 percent and that he will do what people in Ukraine think is the right thing they need. Burnham paid tribute to his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer's huge personal support for Zelensky, adding he will get exactly the same from Burnham. Starmer visited Kyiv on his final full day as Labour leader and announced fresh funding worth £255 million (€300 million) for Ukraine's fight against Russia. During that visit, Starmer was awarded Ukraine's Order of Freedom.

The UK has committed £25 billion in funding for Ukraine's warfighting efforts. Zelensky said the key priorities of his trip were air defense, maritime security, and joint defense production that strengthens both countries. Zelensky said the UK and Ukraine had built the strongest relationship in the history of cooperation and that Ukraine appreciates being able to count on principled decisions, leadership, and support from Britain. When asked if he was concerned about changes of leadership in Britain and France next year, Zelensky said of course he is afraid of changes because Ukraine is in war each day, and he hopes Britain will never lose strong relations with Ukraine during or after the war.