Posted Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 2:36amTue 28 Jul 2026 at 2:36am, updated Tue 28 Jul 2026 at 2:45amTue 28 Jul 2026 at 2:45amBritain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at HM Naval Base in Portsmouth. (Aaron Chown via AP)In short:Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham at a naval base in Portsmouth.As part of the meeting, Britain has pledged to provide new, home-grown jamming technology to protect Ukrainian drones in the war.So far, the UK has spent £25 billion ($47.5 billion) in support for Ukraine.Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham during a visit to the UK, as the two allies vow to continue working closely on defence and military manufacturing. The Ukrainian president's trip to a naval base in Portsmouth marked the first foreign leader visit since Mr Burnham was sworn in as prime minister last week.It also came hours after Russia carried out ballistic missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital."You are the first leader I have welcomed in person since taking office, and that is no accident," Mr Burnham told Mr Zelenskyy."It is intended to send a very clear message: we are with Ukraine 100 per cent, I am personally with you 100 per cent, and I will honour every commitment this country has made to Ukraine in full."Mr Burnham said Britain would provide new, home-grown jamming technology to protect Ukrainian drones in the war.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the first foreign leader visit since Andy Burnham was sworn in as UK prime minister. (Aaron Chown via Reuters)During the visit, Mr Burnham and Mr Zelenskyy were due to meet more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel and sailors who have spent the past three weeks in Britain taking part in Exercise Sea Breeze, a maritime security and counter-mine exercise designed to prepare participants for future missions in the Black Sea.Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK's total support for Ukraine has reached £25 billion ($47.5 billion), including £16 billion in military assistance and £5.6 billion in non-military support, according to Downing Street.It added the meeting was designed to underscore the UK's steadfast support for Ukraine.Mr Burnham is the fifth British prime minister Mr Zelenskyy has dealt with since Russia launched the war in 2022.Speaking with Sky News UK before the meeting, Mr Zelenskyy said former UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer had promised to him that the UK would remain a close ally of Ukraine under Mr Burnham."We are ready to share all of our experience with the UK, and I hope the UK will do the same, so we need to make this drone deal be very strong," he said.Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no signs of ordering his forces to back down. (Reuters/Sputnik: Vyacheslav Prokofyev)Mr Zelenskyy also touched on what he had previously labelled as Ukraine's "long-range sanctions" against Russia, taking the form of continuing drone strikes against the country's oil and gas refineries and distribution centres."We started to do everything to respond and to bring this war back to Russia, where it came to us," he said."It gives us the possibility to be more strong — Russia and Putin do not respect weak."Mr Burnham's predecessor Sir Keir Starmer visited Kyiv days before he stood down earlier this month, where he pledged €300 million ($488 million) to help equip Ukraine with a squadron of 16 Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets.Sir Keir also helped form the Coalition of the Willing in 2025 with France and Germany in a bid to better support Ukraine, defend Europe’s freedom and work with the US on a peace deal for Ukraine. The meeting came a day before Mr Zelenskyy was expected to visit US President Donald Trump in Washington.