Andy Burnham will host Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday as his first international visitor since becoming Prime Minister, reports BritPanorama.
The new PM stated that UK support for Ukraine “remains unwavering” ahead of the visit, just a week following his entry into Downing Street.
During their time together, they will visit a naval base where Mr. Burnham is expected to announce that Britain will share the intellectual property behind its new “Stone Cloak” electronic warfare system, allowing Ukraine to produce the technology on a larger scale.
The tablet-sized device is engineered to obstruct Russian detection of any drones it is equipped with.
The Ministry of Defence has already supplied thousands of the jammers to Ukrainian forces to enhance their drone operations.
Mr. Burnham emphasized, “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.”
He added that “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.”
What is ‘Stone Cloak’?
Following its deployment in Ukraine, this technology is anticipated to be integrated into the UK’s next generation of long-range strike weapons, including Project Brakestop, a government initiative aimed at developing low-cost cruise missiles.
During the visit, the leaders will meet over 200 Ukrainian military personnel who have spent the last three weeks in the UK engaged in Exercise Sea Breeze, designed to enhance warfighting capabilities and counter-mine measures in the Black Sea.
Mr. Burnham spoke with Mr. Zelensky in one of his initial calls after taking office last Monday, inviting the Ukrainian leader to visit “at the earliest opportunity.”
Although Mr. Burnham has limited foreign policy experience from his previous roles, he committed to upholding his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer’s strong support for Ukraine upon entering No 10.
Sir Keir had visited Kyiv on his final full day as Labour leader.
In a related incident, Romania shot down a suspected Russian drone that had crossed into its airspace on Sunday — marking the third such violation in just three days in the Eastern European nation, a member of both the European Union and NATO, according to the country’s president.
Two Romanian F-16 fighter jets scrambled from the Fetești airbase, acting under NATO’s operational command, and successfully neutralized the drone over the Black Sea, as reported by military officials.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan stated, “A new drone was shot down this morning, at 10:13, by an F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, over the territorial waters of Romania, in the Sulina-Chilia area.”
He noted that one of the previously intercepted drones appeared to be “a Shahed type, used by the Russian Federation in the war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Colonel Martin O’Donnell, a spokesperson for NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, highlighted that the downing represents the fourth occasion of a drone violating NATO airspace, emphasizing the alliance’s vigilance.
Romanian aircraft and pilots are deployed in Lithuania as part of a broader NATO strategy, which enhances their operational capabilities.
In statement, O’Donnell affirmed, “As we continue to prove, NATO is constantly on the watch and prepared to defend itself from any threat.”
