Prime Minister Andy Burnham will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a UK naval base on Monday, 27 July, during his first meeting with a foreign leader since entering Downing Street. The talks will focus on Britain’s support for Ukraine, military training and technology designed to protect Ukrainian drones from Russian detection.
Burnham is expected to announce that Britain will make the intellectual property behind its new Stone Cloak electronic warfare system available to Ukraine. This would allow Ukrainian manufacturers to produce the equipment in larger numbers rather than relying only on deliveries from Britain.
The announcement concerns government and military co-operation. It does not introduce any new rule or requirement for members of the British public.
Zelensky’s visit comes one week after Burnham became Prime Minister on 20 July, replacing Sir Keir Starmer. Downing Street said the Ukrainian leader would be Burnham’s first international visitor since taking office.
Burnham spoke to Zelensky during one of his first telephone calls as Prime Minister and invited him to visit Britain at the earliest opportunity. The meeting is expected to signal that the change of leadership in London will not weaken Britain’s backing for Kyiv.
“Britain stands with Ukraine, shoulder to shoulder, and our support remains unwavering,” Burnham said in a statement issued before the visit.
He said Russia should not doubt Britain’s determination to support efforts towards a lasting peace that protects Ukraine’s independence and security.
Stone Cloak is a small electronic jammer, roughly the size of a tablet computer. It is fitted to a drone and designed to interfere with systems used by Russian forces to locate, track or target the aircraft.
The Ministry of Defence has already supplied thousands of the devices to Ukrainian forces. Allowing Ukraine to manufacture the system itself could increase production and make it easier to replace equipment lost or damaged during military operations.
However, the technology does not make every drone impossible to detect or destroy. It is one protective measure within a wider electronic warfare system, and its performance can depend on the equipment used by opposing forces.
The British government also plans to use knowledge gained from Stone Cloak in future long-range weapons. These include Project Brakestop, a programme intended to develop lower-cost cruise missiles for the UK’s armed forces.
Burnham described Stone Cloak as an example of British technology that had already been tested during the conflict. He said the system could help protect the security of both Britain and Ukraine.
During their visit to the naval base, Burnham and Zelensky are due to meet more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel and sailors who have spent three weeks training in Britain.
They took part in Exercise Sea Breeze, a multinational maritime security operation involving 15 countries. The training included mine-clearing exercises and preparations for possible future missions in the Black Sea.
The programme is part of wider UK-led efforts to improve the ability of Ukrainian forces to operate at sea and protect important shipping routes.
Britain has provided £25 billion in support to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Downing Street said the figure included £16 billion in military assistance and £5.6 billion in non-military support.
Burnham has promised to continue the approach taken by Starmer, who visited Kyiv several times while serving as Prime Minister. Starmer made his final visit to Ukraine shortly before leaving office.
Zelensky previously said he hoped to develop a strong working relationship with Burnham and arrange a meeting “as soon as possible”. Monday’s talks will provide the first indication of how the new British Prime Minister intends to manage one of the UK’s most important foreign-policy commitments.