UK’s Burnham to welcome Zelensky in first foreign leader visit

LONDON: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will on Monday host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as his first foreign leader since taking office a week ago, to underline London’s “unwavering support” for Kyiv.

The pair were set to visit a British naval base and hear from both countries’ armed forces personnel involved in training Ukrainian service members for battle, Burnham’s Downing Street office announced late Sunday.

It said he 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 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.”

London also announced it will share with Kyiv the intellectual property behind a new battle-tested electronic jamming capability it has dubbed “Stone Cloak.”

The size of a tablet computer and attached to drones, the military-grade jammers can hinder Russian air defense 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.