British prime minister Andy Burnham has reinforced his support for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy following a meeting in Downing Street on Wednesday afternoon.
Burnham’s backing came after US president Donald Trump increased pressure on Kyiv and Russia hit the country’s energy plants with a fresh wave of missile and drone attacks.
“The last few days, the last few hours, have been very dark and difficult days for Ukraine,” Burnham said in his meeting with Zelenskiy. “In these moments, Britain will continue to provide you with whatever support that we can.”
The meeting was called after Trump last week announced a deal with Russian president Vladimir Putin for Moscow to release diesel fuel to the global market, and the US sought to force Ukraine to halt its drone attacks on Russian oil refineries. Trump also announced a “ceasefire” concerning energy infrastructure, but Moscow has continued to attack Ukrainian energy sites.
Burnham commended Zelenskiy for the “leadership” he showed in saying he would be prepared to discuss what an energy ceasefire would look like. “Sadly, what we have seen from Russia is further attacks on critical national infrastructure in Ukraine,” said the British prime minister. “It’s clear to the world, again, who the aggressor is in this conflict.”
Zelenskiy said he was “thankful” for the UK’s backing, adding that there had been a “continuation of escalation” from Russia rather than a ceasefire.
He also appeared to criticise the US for “difficulties” Ukraine had experienced with Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network, which is providing services to allow Ukraine to guide drones to attack Russia, and with intelligence sharing, issues he said he would discuss with Burnham.
Speaking in parliament earlier on Wednesday, Burnham said that rather than criticise Trump’s actions, he would “try and repair bridges so that the support comes back”.
Burnham announced an increase in British military support – including missiles – for Ukraine and new sanctions aimed at Moscow.
Earlier on Wednesday, Zelenskiy said Ukraine had not received some early warning information from its partners about Russian ballistic missile strikes in the previous 24 hours.
The Ukrainian president said 26 power facilities had been damaged. About 600,000 Ukrainians were reported to be without power on Wednesday morning.
Ukraine is seeking answers from the US and Nato allies about a sudden restriction of SpaceX’s Starlink service for military use. SpaceX limited terminal connections that complicated Ukrainian drone interceptions and mid-range strikes, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The top priority for Kyiv’s allies, including Britain, is to ensure the US does not stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine, and in particular that US early warning systems continue to be used to protect civilian life.
The developments have increased pressure on Ukraine and its European allies to demonstrate that they have a strategy to continue to fend off Russia’s full-scale invasion, which is in its fifth year.
While the US did not contact Britain in advance of the Trump-Putin deal, London saw signs in the weeks preceding the announcement that Trump was once again moving away from the European position, said British officials.
Ukraine retains some leverage even as it comes under renewed pressure from Trump, said the officials. It is able to strike Russian oil refineries without US intelligence by using European targeting data instead. If Putin does not adhere to Trump’s ceasefire, Britain would back Ukraine to keep striking Russian energy infrastructure, they added.
Any cutting off of US intelligence, which briefly happened last year, would be most damaging regarding Ukraine’s defences because it is reliant on a US early warning system to defend against Russian attacks, the officials said. Kyiv’s allies would lobby the US not to stop sharing intelligence, they added. – Bloomberg