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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held his first meeting with the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Andy Burnham, and announced the receipt of electronic warfare technology from the British side to protect Ukrainian drones on the battlefield.
“We discussed our defense – for Ukraine, it is important to have sufficient capabilities to protect lives both in the sky and at sea. We also discussed the development of joint defense production. I am grateful to the United Kingdom for today's decision to provide Ukraine with electronic warfare technologies to protect Ukrainian drones. This will certainly be useful on the battlefield,” Zelenskyy said on X Monday evening following the meeting.
He noted that Ukraine and the United Kingdom together can "do even more in the field of drones and other technologies."
Burnham, in turn, stated that as a testament to their commitment, today he announced about taking another step forward and providing Ukraine with domestic electronic warfare technologies to protect Ukrainian drones. According to him, this will help more accurately engage targets and save Ukrainian lives. It also demonstrates which innovations Ukrainian and British industries can create when working together.
The leaders discussed priorities for further partnership and support for Ukraine, focusing on developing joint defense production and opening relevant enterprises in both Ukraine and the UK. The President and Prime Minister agreed to work to steadily increase the pace of cooperation.
The parties also discussed the work of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition and further steps with partners in this area, as well as cooperation within the Coalition of the Willing. Burnham assured that the UK will continue to co-chair the Coalition of the Willing and will participate in preparations for the next meeting of partners in August.
Zelenskyy also announced that he had invited Burnham to visit Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian president's website, this is the first visit by a foreign leader to the United Kingdom since Burnham took office on July 20 of this year.
Last night, the British newspaper The Telegraph reported that Burnham, during a meeting with Zelenskyy, would present an agreement that would allow Ukraine to begin mass production of British Stone Cloak signal jamming systems, which are installed on Ukrainian attack drones and are designed to prevent Russian air defense systems from tracking them. The UK has already transferred thousands of these devices to Ukraine. The agreement provides for the transfer of intellectual property rights to the technology to Ukraine, allowing Kyiv to independently produce these devices on a large scale.
According to Burnham, Stone Cloak exemplifies British innovation, developed in his country and proven on the front lines: Stone Cloak represents the best of British innovation, developed in the UK and proven on the front lines. This system will be vital to the security of both countries. According to him, the signal jamming technology is expected to be used in several future weapons systems, including Project Brakestop, a new low-cost cruise missile.
