Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Britain on Wednesday where Prime Minister Andy Burnham and King Charles will show their support for the Ukrainian leader after his relationship with the US took a sharp turn for the worse.
Zelenskiy said on X he had arrived in Britain after another night of heavy Russian attacks and hours after Ukraine accused Elon Musk’s SpaceX of crippling its drones by limiting Starlink services.
Burnham will promise a new package of surface-to-air missiles in a show of support for Ukraine that echoed the visit Zelenskiy made to London shortly after he clashed with US President Donald Trump and his deputy JD Vance in February 2025.
Trump said at the weekend Zelenskiy should be replaced as Ukraine’s leader, days after he cut a deal with Moscow to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports.
Britain has said it does not support the US-Russia diesel deal, and called for allies to keep up the economic pressure on Moscow.
“My message to the Ukrainian people could not be clearer, we are with you for as long as it takes, and we will go further and faster in our support to back your courageous fight for peace in Europe,” Burnham said in a statement before the meeting.
Burnham said backing for Ukraine was vital to keeping people in Britain safe and pledged further military support.
He announced the planned delivery of £45 million ($59.60 million) of surface-to-air missiles used to target jet-powered Russian drones, with £10 million of that package fast-tracked to meet an urgent need in Ukraine.
Burnham has asked officials to draw up further sanctions, military aid, and fiscal support, and his foreign and finance ministers have been lobbying allies to follow Britain in banning maritime services that support Russian liquefied natural gas exports.
Zelenskiy said he would meet the king and Burnham on Wednesday: “We will discuss a wide range of security issues. We are preparing decisions that will strengthen us. I thank the King, the Prime Minister, and all of Britain for their support!”