Zelenskiy in London as Burnham pledges £45 million of missiles for Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, meets Andy Burnham in London on Wednesday as Britain moves to reaffirm its support for Kyiv, including a new package of surface-to-air missiles.

The visit comes at a difficult moment for Zelenskiy. President Donald Trump said at the weekend that the Ukrainian leader should be replaced, days after the United States cut a deal with Moscow to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports. Britain has said it does not support that US and Russia diesel deal, and has called for allies to keep up the economic pressure on Moscow.

Photograph: Yuri D.K., via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

In a statement before the meeting, Burnham said his message to the Ukrainian people could not be clearer. “We are with you for as long as it takes,” he said, adding that Britain would go further and faster in its support. He said backing for Ukraine was vital to keeping people in Britain safe.

We are with you for as long as it takes.Andy Burnham, Prime Minister, statement reported by Reuters, 13 October 2026

Burnham announced the planned delivery of £45 million of surface-to-air missiles used to target jet-powered Russian drones. Of that package, £10 million is to be fast-tracked to meet an urgent need in Ukraine.

Photograph: Martian-2008, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Prime Minister has also asked officials to draw up further sanctions, military aid and fiscal support. His foreign and finance ministers have been lobbying allies to follow Britain in banning maritime services that support Russian liquefied natural gas exports.

Wednesday's meeting therefore tests two things at once: whether Britain can turn a statement of solidarity into deliveries that arrive quickly enough to matter against drone attacks, and whether its lobbying can hold a common line among allies at a moment when Washington has moved in a different direction on Russian energy.