Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Britain's support for Ukraine "will not change" as he welcomed the leader to Downing Street on Wednesday, October 14. The Government has since issued a statement outlining the UK's continued defensive support for Ukraine.
Meeting amid strained US-Ukraine relations
The meeting came during a period of strained relations between Ukraine and the US after Donald Trump eased sanctions on Russian diesel last week, as high fuel prices in the US threatened to overshadow November's mid-term elections. Recent days have also seen the US president suggesting Ukraine needs a new leader and claiming Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants a peace deal more than the government in Kyiv.
Mr Burnham said: "You have seen the solidarity and the support you have got from everybody here in Britain. We are behind you and that will not change."
Condolences and continued backing
He added that recent days had been "dark and difficult" for Ukraine, which has suffered "heavy bombardment in the last 24 hours", and extended the UK's condolences to those who had lost loved ones. Mr Burnham said Mr Zelenskyy was "prepared to sit down and discuss" the energy ceasefire proposed by US President Donald Trump, but added: "Sadly, what we have seen from Russia is further attacks on critical national infrastructure in Ukraine."
He said: "In these moments, Britain will continue to provide you with whatever support we can."
Mr Zelenskyy said he was "thankful" for British support, saying: "Our people, we survived and continue to do this because we have strong partners and I'm very proud that we have one of the strongest partners in our history and it's your people, Andy."
Downing Street statement on defensive support
After the meeting, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister welcomed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine to Downing Street this afternoon. The leaders began by reflecting on their call on Saturday, and Russia's blatant indiscriminate attacks on civilians and energy infrastructure since President Trump called for an energy ceasefire."
"It was clear that Russia had no interest in peace, the leaders underlined. Turning to how Ukraine's allies could step up support, particularly in response to Russia's barrage of jet-powered drones, the Prime Minister set out the UK's latest package of Lightweight Multirole Missiles."
"The UK would continue to develop innovative military solutions for use on the battlefield in Ukraine, including retrofitting British capability onto equipment gifted from other partners, the Prime Minister added."
"On long range missiles, the leaders discussed how the UK could accelerate defensive support to Ukraine ahead of the winter. The UK would also continue its diplomatic efforts to support international supplies of defensive equipment too, the Prime Minister added. Both looked forward to speaking again soon."
