UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in Portsmouth on July 27, marking Burnham's first foreign visitor since taking office on July 20 [1, 2, 3]. The two leaders discussed ongoing UK-Ukraine cooperation and training efforts, including Exercise Sea Breeze—a maritime and counter-mine drill involving over 200 Ukrainian personnel and 15 countries aimed at strengthening Black Sea security [1, 2, 4, 5, 6].
Burnham pledged to share the intellectual property rights of Stone Cloak, a tablet-sized military-grade electronic jammer designed to disrupt Russian air defense tracking by attaching to drones. The UK has already delivered thousands of Stone Cloak units to Ukraine, and the technology will enable Ukraine’s mass production under a 100-year partnership agreement [1, 2, 7, 8, 3, 9]. Burnham said, "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" [2].
Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, the UK has provided Ukraine with £25 billion in aid, including about £16 billion in military support. Keir Starmer, Burnham’s predecessor, visited Kyiv days before leaving office and pledged €300 million in new aid including fighter jets [1, 4, 5, 7]. Burnham emphasized the UK's "unwavering" support, stating, "Britain stands with Ukraine, shoulder to shoulder, and our support remains unwavering. 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" [1].
Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the UK’s "principled decisions, leadership and support," calling the UK-Ukraine relationship the strongest in history [8, 3]. The visit lasted one day; Zelenskyy departed the UK on July 28 en route to Washington, D.C. to meet with former President Donald Trump for talks on ending the war with Russia [10, 6, 3].
Burnham also revealed plans to visit Ukraine soon, underscoring his commitment to the partnership [6]. Stone Cloak technology will be integrated into the UK’s next-generation long-range weapons, such as the Project Brakestop cruise missile system [1, 2]. The visit reinforced the ongoing close military and diplomatic collaboration between the UK and Ukraine amid the conflict in Eastern Europe.
