Burnham hosts Zelensky and offers ‘stone cloak’ devices just a week after taking PM job

Andy Burnham will host Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday as his first international visitor since becoming Prime Minister.The new PM said UK support for Ukraine “remains unwavering” ahead of the visit on Monday, just a week after entering Downing Street.They will visit a naval base where Mr Burnham will announce that Britain will hand over the intellectual property behind its new “Stone Cloak” electronic warfare system, enabling Ukraine to produce the technology at scale.

The tablet-sized device is designed to block Russian detection of any drones it is fitted to.The Ministry of Defence has already given thousands of the jammers to Ukrainian forces to bolster their drone operations.open image in galleryA firefighter walks at the site of a petrol station hit by a Russian airstrike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia (Reuters)Mr Burnham said in a statement: “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.“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, the technology is expected to be incorporated into the UK’s next generation of long-range strike weapons, including Project Brakestop, the Government’s initiative to develop low-cost cruise missiles.During the visit, the two leaders will meet more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel who have spent the past three weeks in the UK taking part in Exercise Sea Breeze, aimed at strengthening warfighting capabilities and counter-mine measures in the Black Sea.The new Prime Minister spoke to Mr Zelensky in one of his first calls after taking office last Monday and invited the Ukrainian leader to visit “at the earliest opportunity”.

Mr Burnham, who has little foreign policy experience from his previous time in government, had vowed to maintain his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer’s resolute support for Ukraine before entering No 10.Sir Keir visited Kyiv on his final full day as Labour leader.open image in galleryPrime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pay their respects at a wreath laying at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)On Sunday Romania shot down a suspected Russian drone after it crossed into its airspace — the third such incursion in three days in the Eastern European nation that's both a European Union and a NATO member, the country's president said.

Two Romanian F-16 fighter jets scrambled from the Fete*ti airbase, under NATO's operational command, and shot down the drone over the Black Sea, the military alliance said."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," Romanian President Nicusor Dan said.He added that authorities found that one of the earlier intercepted drones appears to be "a Shahed type, used by the Russian Federation in the war of aggression against Ukraine."

This is the fourth recent downing by Romania of a drone violating NATO airspace in coordination with the alliance, said Col. Martin O'Donnell, a spokesperson for NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, known as SHAPE.Before the last three interceptions, Romanian jets shot down a drone in the sky above Estonia in May, he said.

Romanian pilots and planes are based in Lithuania from where they have broad strike capabilities as part of NATO's force posture."As we continue to prove, NATO is constantly on the watch and prepared to defend itself from any threat," O'Donnell said.Join our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments