Prime Minister Andy Burnham has hosted Ukraine's president in Portsmouth, using the visit to the naval city on England's south coast to announce new British support for Kyiv. The package he set out includes homegrown jamming technology to protect Ukrainian drones and a multinational force intended to strengthen Ukraine's security over the long term.
Speaking alongside the Ukrainian leader, Burnham said the British people felt deeply what Ukraine was going through, telling his guest he had heard directly from Ukrainian mayors about the situation in their country. He framed Ukraine's fight as vital to British security, and said the United Kingdom would continue to help the country fight and defend its nation.
The centrepiece of the announcement was what Burnham described as new homegrown jamming technology to protect Ukrainian drones. According to the reporting, Britain will share the intellectual property rights for the signal jammers, which are designed to disrupt Russian air defences, so that Ukraine can produce the tablet-sized devices on its own and in large numbers.
Burnham also said Britain was providing a multinational force to strengthen Ukraine's security for the long term. Addressing the Ukrainian president directly, he said he wanted him to know that Britain had his back, adding that Ukraine could count on him and on the United Kingdom for as long as it takes, before closing with the words Slava Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president said he was honoured to be the first foreign leader to visit the United Kingdom since Burnham took office, and thanked the Prime Minister for welcoming him and his team to Portsmouth. He said the people of the port city held great respect for servicemen and women, and singled out sailors in particular for their thanks.
He described the relationship between the two countries as stronger than ever, thanking Burnham for his commitment to the partnership and for the attention he was giving to defence and to security. He argued that when a country invests in defence and security, communities such as ports and shipyards grow stronger, matter more and continue to grow.
The pledges build on what has already been a substantial British commitment to Ukraine. According to the coverage, the United Kingdom has provided around 25 billion pounds in aid since the start of the war, of which about 16 billion pounds has been military support, underlining the scale of London's involvement as the conflict continues into a new phase.