Britain Arms Ukraine’s Drones as Zelensky Visits Burnham
Britain will supply Ukraine with “Stone Cloak” electronic-warfare devices to shield its attack drones from Russian air defences, the government announced as President Zelensky became the first foreign leader to visit Andy Burnham as Prime Minister. The two met aboard a Royal Navy aircraft carrier at Portsmouth, where Mr Burnham told his guest: “I am with you 100 per cent.” They agreed to deepen defence-industrial cooperation.
The Stone Cloak jammers are designed to blind the Russian radar and air defences that increasingly threaten Ukraine’s long-range drones, a mainstay of Kyiv’s campaign against Russian infrastructure. The choice of Mr Zelensky as his first guest, and a warship as the venue, was a deliberate signal of continuity in British support at a moment when American backing under President Trump looks less certain. Mr Burnham, who has said he will “stand up to” Mr Trump, is seeking to position Britain as a dependable European partner for Kyiv. Watch for the scale of the supply and any joint-manufacturing deal to follow.