Britain’s new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as his first international guest on Monday, in a move that underscores London’s strong support for Ukraine, Burnham’s office said.
The two leaders met at a naval base, where they were to hear how British-led training programs are helping to strengthen Ukraine’s armed forces and deliver results on the battlefield, according to Downing Street.
“The UK stands with Ukraine, shoulder to shoulder, and our support remains unwavering,” Burnham said in a statement. “Russia should be without doubt of our resolve, and we will not back down until we have a lasting and just peace for Ukraine.”
During the visit, Burnham and Zelensky were due to meet more than 200 Ukrainian soldiers and sailors who have spent the past three weeks in the UK taking part in Exercise Sea Breeze, a maritime and bomb security exercise designed to prepare participants for future missions in the Black Sea.
Since the full-scale invasion of Russia in 2022, total UK support for Ukraine has reached 25 billion pounds (US$33.3 billion), including military aid of 16 billion pounds and non-military aid of 5.6 billion pounds, Burnham’s office said.
On Monday, Burnham, who was speaking alongside Zelensky, said Britain would provide new home-made jamming technology to protect Ukrainian drones in battle.
Burnham’s predecessor Keir Starmer visited Kyiv days before his resignation earlier this month, where he pledged €300 million to help equip Ukraine with a squadron of 16 Swedish Gripen fighter jets.
