British Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged new drone-jamming technology to Ukraine on Monday, using his first meeting with a foreign leader since taking office to underline Britain's continued military backing for Kyiv.
Issued on: 28/07/2026 - 14:26
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The two leaders met on Monday at the Portsmouth naval base in southern England, speaking on the dockside before boarding the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. "We are with Ukraine 100 percent. I am personally with you 100 percent, Mr President," Burnham told Zelensky after the pair, dressed in similar dark casual clothing, shook hands beside the ship. Zelensky thanked the new prime minister for what he called an "important signal of support" and said he had invited him to visit Ukraine. The two leaders had already spoken by telephone within hours of Burnham taking office. Burnham promised to honour every commitment previously made by Britain to Ukraine and announced that London would share details of a new electronic jamming capability known as "Stone Cloak". EU and Ukraine seal drone deal to pair industry with battlefield expertise The tablet-sized, military-grade devices can be fitted to Ukrainian drones to make it harder for Russian air defence systems to track and target them during flight. "We are providing new, home-grown jamming technology to protect Ukrainian drones," Burnham said. "It will help them to hit their targets and help save Ukrainian lives. It also shows the kind of innovation our industries can deliver together." Zelensky later said the electronic warfare technology would "certainly be useful on the battlefield" and thanked Britain for the decision.
