'We've got your back' — UK's new Prime Minister Burnham welcomes Zelensky in first leader visit, pledges Stone Cloak defense tech to Kyiv

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details.

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the United Kingdom on July 27 for talks with newly appointed Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

The meeting marks the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders and comes just days after Burnham took office following the resignation of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Zelensky is the first leader Burnham has hosted since becoming Prime Minister.

Welcoming Zelensky as his first foreign leader was "intended to send a very clear message," Burnham said in a statement alongside the Ukrainian president at a U.K. naval base in Portsmouth.

"We are with Ukraine one hundred percent," Burnham said.

"I am personally with you one hundred percent, Mr. President. And I will honor every commitment the U.K. has made to Ukraine in full. I want you to know that we've got your back."

Downing Street also announced that it would share the intellectual property of its "Stone Cloak" defense technology with Ukraine, giving Kyiv the ability to mass produce its own systems.

Stone Cloak is an electronic warfare (EW) system, featuring compact tablets designed to fit directly onto drones. According to Downing Street, the "jammers are the size of a tablet computer and hinder Russian air defense systems from tracking and targeting the drones they are fitted to."

The U.K. has already supplied Ukraine with thousands of these jammers, and by granting Kyiv its own production license, the Ukrainian defense industry will be able to manufacture the devices en masse.

"Our relationship with the U.K. is stronger than ever, and I thank Andy for his commitment to this partnership and for giving so much attention to our defense and security," Zelensky said alongside Burnham in Portsmouth.

Ahead of the meeting, Downing Street said that Zelensky and Burnham would meet at the naval base in Portsmouth to discuss how U.K.-led training programs are helping strengthen Ukraine's army and achieve battlefield results.

"The key priorities are air defense, maritime security, and joint defense production — our cooperation that strengthens both countries," Zelensky said.

The visit comes as Kyiv seeks to maintain close ties with one of its strongest international backers amid Russia's ongoing full-scale war. Burnham has pledged that Britain's support for Ukraine "will not waver" and has consistently expressed pro-Ukrainian views.

He became leader of the governing Labour Party last week after Starmer announced his resignation on June 22 amid growing pressure from within the party.

Burnham is the fifth British prime minister to serve since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Labour Party had been losing public support in recent years and suffered a major setback in the 2025 local elections, when Nigel Farage's anti-immigration Reform Party finished first.

The United Kingdom remains one of Ukraine's closest allies, providing military, financial, and diplomatic support throughout the war.

Burnham entered the British Parliament in 2001 and has held several senior government positions, including health secretary, culture secretary, and chief secretary to the Treasury, before becoming mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017.