Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged continued British support for Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to visit the UK on Monday for talks and a meeting with Ukrainian military personnel training in Britain.
Downing Street said the Ukrainian president would be Burnham’s first international visitor since he took office a week ago, describing the visit as a sign of the continuing relationship between the two countries. The two leaders are due to visit a naval base, where the UK will set out further defence cooperation with Kyiv.
During the visit, Burnham is expected to announce that Britain will share the intellectual property behind its new “Stone Cloak” electronic warfare system. The move is intended to allow Ukraine to manufacture the technology at scale for use by its armed forces.
The Stone Cloak devices are small jammers, roughly the size of a tablet computer, designed to prevent drones fitted with them from being detected. The Ministry of Defence has already supplied thousands of the systems to Ukrainian forces to support their drone operations.
According to Downing Street, the technology has been used in Ukraine and will also be incorporated into the UK’s next generation of long-range weapons. That includes Project Brakestop, a government programme aimed at developing lower-cost cruise missiles.
Burnham said in a statement on Sunday evening that Stone Cloak represented “homegrown British innovation” tested on the frontline, and said it would be important for the security of both the UK and Ukraine.
The meeting comes as Britain continues to play a significant role in Ukraine’s military support network. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion four years ago, the UK has committed £25 billion in funding for Ukraine’s war effort, according to the source material.
Burnham told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg ahead of the visit that his backing for Ukraine was “unwavering” and “100%”. He said he would respond to what Ukraine considered necessary, and paid tribute to his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer’s personal support for Zelensky, saying the Ukrainian leader would receive the same from him.
One of Burnham’s first calls after becoming prime minister last Monday was with Zelensky, during which he invited the Ukrainian president to visit Britain at the earliest opportunity. Zelensky later wrote on X that he appreciated that support for Ukraine and its people would remain firm.
As part of Monday’s programme, the two leaders will meet more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel who have spent the past three weeks taking part in a maritime exercise in the UK. Exercise Sea Breeze is intended to strengthen warfighting capabilities and counter-mine operations in the Black Sea, a strategically important area during the conflict.
The Black Sea has been central to Ukraine’s defence and maritime security since Russia’s invasion, with mine threats, attacks on ports and contested sea lanes affecting military operations and wider trade routes. Training focused on counter-mine measures is therefore considered important for Ukraine’s ability to protect its waters and maintain freedom of movement.
The visit also follows Starmer’s final trip to Kyiv as Labour leader, during which he announced £255 million, or €300 million, in additional funding for Ukraine’s fight against Russia. He was also awarded Ukraine’s Order of Freedom during that visit.
Asked previously about possible changes in leadership in Britain and France, Zelensky acknowledged concern because Ukraine remains at war, but said the priority was the relationship between nations rather than individuals. He said he hoped Ukraine would never lose its strong relationship with the UK, during or after the war.
Monday’s visit is expected to underline the continuity of UK policy towards Ukraine under Burnham’s leadership, with defence technology, training and military funding remaining central to the partnership between London and Kyiv.
