Zelensky is expected to renew calls to boost defence as both Moscow and Kyiv intensify drone and missile strikes, with US-led negotiations on resolving the conflict at a impasse while Washington's attention has been diverted to the Iran war. Zelensky is set to visit a British naval base with Burnham and hear from both countries' armed forces personnel who are involved in training Ukrainian service members for battle, the prime minister's Downing Street office announced late Sunday. It said Burnham would vow "to continue the unbreakable bond between the two nations", echoing what the new UK leader told Zelensky in a call last Monday within hours of replacing Keir Starmer. "Britain stands with Ukraine, shoulder to shoulder, and our support remains unwavering," Burnham, who took office on July 20, said in a statement. "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."
'Our support remains unwavering,' said Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham © Christopher Furlong / POOL/AFP
London also announced it will share the intellectual property behind a new battle-tested electronic jamming capability it has dubbed "Stone Cloak" with Kyiv. The size of a tablet computer and attached to drones, the military-grade jammers can hinder Russian air defence systems from tracking and targeting such weapons in-flight, Downing Street said. It noted the device stemmed from the "rapid innovation" being developed between the two allies under a 100-year partnership pact signed in January last year. Thousands of the jammers have already been gifted to Kyiv to help its armed forces maintain drone operations, according to London. Following their roll-out and potential mass production in Ukraine, Stone Cloak will be built into the next generation of UK deep-strike capabilities, it noted. "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," Burnham said. 'Drone deal' with Britain In another sign of Ukraine's deepening defence ties with Britain, Zelensky told UK broadcaster Sky News he wanted to "open a new page", signing a "drone deal" and building a drone factory in Britain. "We're ready to share all our experience with the UK, and I hope that the UK will do the same, so we need to make this drone deal very strong," Zelensky said in the interview broadcast Sunday. He admitted that "we don't have enough missiles to defend", referring to the ultra-fast Russia ballistic missiles that have put Ukraine's air-defence system under strain in a recent spate of deadly attacks.
