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Andy Burnham has reaffirmed the UK’s steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine as he prepares to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday. This meeting marks the first international visit received by Burnham since he assumed the office of prime minister a week ago. According to Downing Street, this visit symbolizes the robust ties between the two countries.
During their engagement, the leaders will tour a naval base where Burnham plans to announce the transfer of the intellectual property rights to the UK’s “Stone Cloak” electronic warfare system. This move will allow Ukraine to manufacture the technology on a large scale. Burnham emphasized the UK’s solidarity with Ukraine, stating, “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.” He also highlighted the significance of the Stone Cloak system: “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 Stone Cloak devices are compact electronic jammers roughly the size of a tablet, designed to disrupt the detection capabilities of drones they are attached to. The UK Ministry of Defence has already supplied thousands of these devices to Ukrainian forces to enhance their drone operations. Downing Street noted that after its deployment in Ukraine, the technology will be incorporated into the UK’s next generation of long-range weapons, including Project Brakestop—a government initiative aimed at developing cost-effective cruise missiles that function similarly to conventional aircraft during flight.
Additionally, during Monday’s visit, Burnham and Zelensky will meet more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel who have recently taken part in Exercise Sea Breeze, a maritime exercise conducted in the UK over the past three weeks. This exercise focuses on improving warfighting capabilities and counter-mine techniques in the Black Sea region.
Since Russia’s invasion four years ago, the UK has consistently supported Ukraine, investing £25 billion to aid their defense efforts. Burnham reached out to Zelensky shortly after becoming prime minister, inviting him to visit the UK at the earliest opportunity. Following this invitation, Zelensky expressed his gratitude on social media, stating, “I truly appreciate that the support for Ukraine and our people will remain steadfast.” Meanwhile, Burnham’s predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer, had visited Kyiv on his last full day as Labour leader, where he announced an additional £255 million in funding to assist Ukraine and received the country’s Order of Freedom.
When asked about the potential impact of leadership changes in Britain and France, Zelensky admitted some concern but stressed that the priority lies in maintaining strong relations between nations rather than individual leaders. He 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 further expressed hope that the strong relationship with the UK will persist both during and after the conflict. Sir Keir Starmer responded with reassurance: “You won’t.
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