Burnham Zelenskyy meeting: PM to host Ukraine president at No 10
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street on Wednesday, promising Britain is "with you for as long as it takes" as Ukraine faces increased Russian missile and drone attacks.
Burnham Zelenskyy meeting: PM to host Ukraine president at No 10
The Burnham Zelenskyy meeting comes with concrete commitments, from faster missile deliveries to a renewed diplomatic effort against Russian gas exports. It takes place as Ukraine faces increased Russian missile and drone attacks.
Faster missile deliveries promised
No 10 said part of an ongoing £1.6bn package to deliver more than 5,000 British-made lightweight multi-role missiles (LMMs) to Ukraine would be sped up.
The acceleration responds to a new generation of Russian jet-powered drones, which fly quicker and higher than the propeller-driven Shahed drones used before. That makes them much harder to shoot down and lets Russia strike more targets in Ukraine, including Kyiv.
- More than 5,000 LMMs are covered by the £1.6bn package
- Jet-powered drones fly quicker and higher than the older Shahed models
- The changed drone threat lets Russia hit more Ukrainian targets, Kyiv included
Push to ban Russian LNG exports
Burnham and his ministers will also push for a full international maritime services ban on exports of Russian liquefied natural gas.
Chancellor John Healey will take that case to the International Monetary Fund summit in Bangkok, where he is expected to press other countries to ban Russian LNG.
Third meeting in months
The two leaders have met twice since Burnham took office in July 2026: Zelenskyy visited a naval base in Portsmouth in the same month, and Burnham travelled to Kyiv in August.
Zelenskyy's last Downing Street visit followed a very different sequence of events. The day after Trump and his vice-president, JD Vance, publicly berated the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office 18 months ago, Zelenskyy met Keir Starmer at No 10. On that trip King Charles also hosted him at Sandringham in Norfolk, a royal family home rarely used for such visits.
Backing against rising attacks
Zelenskyy arrives amid friction with Washington. Trump struck a deal to purchase Russian diesel, said Ukraine needed a new leader, and announced a supposed ceasefire tied to energy infrastructure - one the Ukrainian president said "was news to him".
He voiced anger over the diesel deal, saying Russian attacks that followed on civilian targets in Ukraine amounted to a "thanks" from Vladimir Putin.
In a statement ahead of the visit, Burnham argued that Britain's unwavering backing of Kyiv protects people at home as much as it arms frontline troops resisting Russian forces, calling such support "vital for keeping us safe here in the UK". He added that his message to Ukrainians was "We are with you for as long as it takes", and pledged faster and deeper backing for what he called their fight for peace in Europe.
He said: "It is not just the right thing to do, but it's the necessary thing to do. Russia's aggression cannot be allowed to succeed on our continent."
Wednesday's meeting at No 10 is the next step, with Burnham framing continued UK backing as vital for European security.
