Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to visit a UK naval base on Monday in his first meeting with newly appointed Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The visit comes less than two weeks after Burnham assumed office and represents his first overseas visitor in the role. Burnham indicated the meeting demonstrates Britain’s sustained commitment to supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression.
During the visit, Burnham and Zelenskyy will inspect troops participating in Exercise Sea Breeze, a 15-country military training operation focused on maritime operations and mine exercises in the Black Sea region. The latest phase of the exercise, held in Portland, Dorset, concluded on Friday and involved more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel. The leaders are also expected to discuss ongoing technological collaboration between the two nations.
Among the collaborative projects to be addressed is Stone Cloak, an electronic jamming system that the UK has made available to Ukraine through shared intellectual property. The compact devices, roughly the size of a tablet computer, have been distributed to Ukraine for integration into drone systems to prevent Russian air defense tracking and targeting. Ukraine has since established domestic production capabilities for the jammers, which are planned for integration into future British weaponry platforms including cruise missiles.
According to Downing Street statistics, total UK financial support for Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 has reached £25 billion, comprising £16 billion in military aid. The previous prime minister, Keir Starmer, maintained regular engagement with Zelenskyy and visited Ukraine multiple times. During Zelenskyy’s March 2025 visit to the UK following a contentious meeting at the White House, he met both Starmer and King Charles at Sandringham. At the conclusion of Starmer’s final visit to Ukraine, Zelenskyy presented him with the Order of Freedom, the nation’s highest honor for foreign nationals.
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