Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked Prime Minister Andy Burnham for choosing Ukraine for his first foreign visit since entering Downing Street, as the two leaders agreed to deepen cooperation between Britain and Ukraine.
Burnham travelled to Kyiv to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day, using the visit to reaffirm the UK’s support for the country in its continuing fight against Russia’s invasion.
Following their meeting, Zelensky described Britain’s relationship with Ukraine as an exceptionally close partnership and thanked the Prime Minister personally for travelling to Kyiv.
Writing on X, Zelensky said:
“I am grateful to Prime Minister Andy Burnham for making his first foreign visit specifically to Ukraine, on the anniversary of the restoration of our independence.”
He added that Ukraine’s partnership with the UK was “special”, saying the two countries had built an “unprecedentedly strong and friendly dialogue”.
During the visit, Zelensky presented Burnham with the first award of a new Ukrainian state distinction, the “Gratitude of the Ukrainian People”, which he said was awarded to the people of the United Kingdom.
Zelensky said:
“It was an honor, on behalf of the Ukrainian people, to present Andy with the first new state distinction – ‘Gratitude of the Ukrainian People,’ awarded to the people of the United Kingdom.”
The two leaders also signed a declaration to expand cooperation between Britain and Ukraine in artificial intelligence.
Zelensky said: “Today we are expanding our cooperation even further – Ukraine and the United Kingdom will develop their partnership in the field of artificial intelligence. We signed the relevant declaration today.”
Their discussions also covered further defence and economic cooperation.
According to Zelensky, talks included the possibility of licences to produce Storm Shadow missiles, assistance with insurance for businesses operating in the Ukrainian market, measures to strengthen Ukraine’s financial resilience and wider diplomatic cooperation.
The Ukrainian President said Britain’s continued support was particularly important as the war continues.
“We value the fact that the UK’s course remains unchanged – full support for Ukraine and our defense,” he said.
“Thank you, Andy! Thank you, Great Britain!”
Burnham used his visit to make clear that the Labour Government views Ukraine’s defence as fundamental to wider European security.
Speaking during Independence Day commemorations, the Prime Minister described Ukraine as “Europe’s protector” rather than a burden on European security and said Britain would remain alongside the Ukrainian people in their struggle.
The visit comes as ministers seek to strengthen Britain’s long-term defence, technological and economic partnership with Kyiv while maintaining support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Burnham’s decision to make Kyiv the destination of his first overseas visit as Prime Minister also sends a significant political signal about the place Ukraine will occupy in the new Government’s foreign and security policy.
For Zelensky, the message from the meeting was clear: the relationship between Ukraine and Britain remains strong and is now expanding into new areas of defence, technology and economic cooperation.
