Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham signed a joint declaration of intent on a Ukrainian-British artificial intelligence partnership during bilateral talks in Kyiv, Ukrainian news agency UNIAN reported.
The signing took place as part of Burnham's first foreign visit since becoming head of the British government. He told Zelensky that the United Kingdom would support Ukraine to the end, and said Britain was proud of its support for the country.
Burnham said he felt he needed to travel to Kyiv to make sure Zelensky and the Ukrainian people knew that British support had not changed, and he assured there would be no shift in the UK's backing.
He said it would not be the case that Britain stood with Ukraine one day and left the next. Burnham said the UK had stood by Ukraine under every government and political party that had held power, and that this had continued for four and a half years, a long time during which people in Ukraine had been dealing with the consequences of an illegal invasion. He said Britain would remain with Ukraine for as long as needed.
Zelensky thanked Burnham for years of British support. He said Ukraine respected the British people, who had helped significantly, not only through military and financial support but through firm backing from the earliest days of the war, at a time when many leaders had been weighing how to respond without knowing what would come after a week or a month of occupation. Zelensky said Britain had been very strong and clear on Ukraine's side, and that Ukraine would never forget it.
Storm Shadow missile production
Burnham also confirmed in Kyiv that the UK had formally begun joint work with Ukraine on transferring technology to build Storm Shadow/Scalp cruise missiles, UNIAN reported. He recalled that Britain was the first country to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons, back in 2023.
Anti-ballistic missile system FREYJA
Burnham said he was also asking British industry to support the European anti-ballistic missile project FREYJA, aimed at producing a cheaper alternative to the American Patriot systems used to intercept ballistic missiles.
