Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the United Kingdom on Monday to meet newly appointed Prime Minister Andy Burnham, becoming the first foreign leader to hold official talks with Britain’s new leader since he took office.
The visit underscored the deepening strategic partnership between Kyiv and London as both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening Ukraine’s security during the ongoing conflict with Russia.
During their meeting at Portsmouth Naval Base, Burnham pledged Britain’s continued support for Ukraine, telling Zelenskyy that the UK would stand with Ukraine “for as long as it takes.” He confirmed that every existing British commitment to Ukraine would be fully honoured.
A major outcome of the visit was Britain’s decision to share the intellectual property behind its advanced Stone Cloak electronic warfare system. The technology is designed to protect drones from detection and will allow Ukraine to manufacture the system domestically, significantly enhancing its defense capabilities. Britain also plans to integrate the technology into its future long-range weapons programme.
The leaders discussed key security priorities, including strengthening Ukraine’s air defense, improving maritime security in the Black Sea, expanding joint defense production, and increasing military cooperation between both countries.
Zelenskyy also visited more than 200 Ukrainian service members participating in Exercise Sea Breeze, a UK-based multinational military exercise focused on maritime warfare and mine-countermeasure operations.
Burnham reiterated Britain’s support for achieving a full and unconditional ceasefire while insisting that any future peace negotiations must include Ukraine and maintain a strong European role.
Zelenskyy described UK-Ukraine relations as stronger than ever and praised Britain’s continued leadership, saying the partnership remains one of the strongest in the history of cooperation between the two nations.
