Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will try to “repair bridges” between Ukraine and the United States ahead of a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street. The Ukrainian president was welcomed by a military ceremonial guard outside Number 10 on his arrival, a first for a foreign leader at the UK’s prime ministerial residence.
Burnham resisted criticism over President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that he had struck a deal with Moscow to import Russian diesel. He said he wanted to be careful in laying the ground to bring people back together, stressing that Zelensky would not leave the UK “empty‑handed” and that further military and financial support would be arranged in the coming weeks.
The visit will be used to promise further sanctions against Russia and to announce that the UK will accelerate the delivery of air‑defence missiles to Kyiv. The UK will also urge allies to step up pressure on Russia, with Chancellor John Healey calling for a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas at IMF meetings.
It is Zelensky’s second visit to the UK since Burnham became prime minister. While other world leaders have received military welcomes, Number 10 said it could not find a record of one taking place on Downing Street. During PMQs, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey asked whether Burnham agreed that the diesel deal was “yet another shameful Trump betrayal of the Ukrainian people and European security”. Burnham replied that his role was to repair bridges so that support could come back.
Burnham had spoken to Zelensky over the phone on Saturday, recognising it was a very dark and difficult moment for the Ukrainian leader as they contemplate a severe winter. The call followed Trump’s announcement that President Vladimir Putin had agreed to release millions of tonnes of Russian diesel into the US after he suspended sanctions on diesel from Moscow. Zelensky branded the move a gift to Putin, warning it would give Moscow money to continue its war against Ukraine. Trump responded by saying it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president”.
Zelensky has said that at least 600,000 people across Ukraine were left without electricity after deadly overnight Russian missile and drone strikes that hit critical energy infrastructure. He warned that Ukraine is ready to halt its strikes on Russian oil refineries if Moscow did the same, while Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Ukraine does not deserve a ceasefire respite.
Burnham’s meeting with Zelensky is expected to set the tone for future UK‑US cooperation on sanctions and military aid to Ukraine, as the UK seeks to strengthen its position on the global stage amid the ongoing conflict.
