Freshly anointed British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday as his first foreign leader since taking office a week ago.
The move comes as Kyiv seeks to ensure the stream of billions of pounds in support continues to flow from UK taxpayers via Number 10s munificence and its new – part time – inhabitant even as questions are asked about its distribution.
AFP reports the two leaders 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 confirmed late Sunday.
It said the prime minister would vow “to continue the unbreakable bond between the two nations”, echoing what the installed Labour UK leader told Zelensky in a call last Monday within hours of pushing Keir Starmer out the door.
Burnham said in a statement he looked forward to stepping onto the international stage while issuing a veiled warning to Russia to be careful:
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.
London also announced it will share with Kyiv the intellectual property behind a new battle-tested electronic jamming capability it has dubbed “Stone Cloak”.
Downing Street proudly noted the UK’s total support for Ukraine has reached £25 billion ($33 billion) since Russia’s full-scale invasion more than four years ago, including £16 billion in direct military assistance.
Burnham told the BBC in his first major interview since becoming prime minister that the flow of money, personnel and munitions to Kyiv will not slow on his watch even as the British military has struggled to reach its own funding goals.
“My support for Ukraine is unwavering – it is 100%. And I will do what, in Ukraine, people think is the right thing that they need.”
Zelensky is due in Washington on Tuesday, where he will have talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, as Breitbart News reported.