Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Prime Minister Andy Burnham in London on Wednesday as he attempted to shore up European support for the war.
Despite battlefield advances by Ukrainian forces this year, coupled with heavy Russian losses, that position could be undermined after President Donald Trump called for Mr Zelenskyy to be replaced and lifted sanctions on Russian diesel. US intelligence sharing has also appeared to waver.
New restrictions on Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet network disrupted Ukrainian military operations, including its air defence systems on Tuesday night.
But Mr Burnham was expected to promise Britain would go “further and faster” in providing financial and military assistance, including accelerating the delivery of lightweight multirole missiles designed to intercept Russia jet-powered drones that travel at 600kph.
An escort of Irish Guards stood to attention outside Downing Street as Mr Zelenskyy posed for pictures with the Prime Minister before heading inside for talks.
The meeting is possibly the most challenging foreign affairs moment for Mr Burnham early in his premiership as he has to support Ukraine while not angering Mr Trump, as US intelligence support is vital to Kyiv’s war effort.
Earlier in parliament he offered “unwavering” support for Ukraine during Prime Minister’s questions. But Mr Burnham was then asked if the US President’s announcements were “yet another shameful Trump betrayal of the Ukrainian people and European security”.
The Prime Minister replied that this is a “very dark and difficult moment” for Mr Zelensky, who he said was “carrying the heaviest of weights”. But he declined to criticise Mr Trump directly, stating that “what I have to do in my role is try to repair bridges so that the support comes back”.
The tricky diplomatic moves came after SpaceX introduced overnight restrictions limiting the speed of some devices connecting to Starlink to 160kph, a move that disrupted a number of Ukrainian military missions, according to presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov. Starlink is a critical component of Ukraine’s drone warfare which allows soldiers to guide weapons towards Russian targets, and is also vital to its air defences.
Kyiv had allegedly not been informed of the restrictions. Mr Beskrestnov said that “this cannot be a coincidence and is related to the current political situation”. SpaceX has not commented on the apparent restrictions.
A barrage of overnight missiles and drones killed three people in Kyiv, while six died in a separate Russian drone strike on a warehouse in Lutsk, in north-western Ukraine.