Conflict & Security
UK pledges Stone Cloak drone jammers to Ukraine as Zelensky visits
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged new Stone Cloak electronic jamming technology to Ukraine on Monday during talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky at a naval base in Portsmouth.
Downing Street said the tablet-sized, military-grade devices can be attached to drones and hinder Russian air-defence systems from tracking and targeting them during flight.
The government said thousands of Stone Cloak jammers had already been supplied to Kyiv under a 100-year partnership agreement between Britain and Ukraine.
Burnham met Zelensky on the dockside and aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in his first bilateral meeting with a foreign leader.
The talks came before Zelensky’s planned visit to Washington on Tuesday for discussions aimed at ending the four-year war with Russia.
Burnham told Zelensky that Britain stood with Ukraine “100 percent” and would honour every commitment made to Kyiv.
He said Britain was providing “new, home-grown jamming technology to protect Ukrainian drones” as both Russia and Ukraine intensified drone and missile attacks.
Zelensky thanked Burnham for what he described as an important signal of support and invited the British prime minister to visit Ukraine.
He later wrote on X that Britain’s electronic warfare technology would be useful on the battlefield.
The British government said Stone Cloak could be manufactured at scale in Ukraine and later incorporated into the next generation of UK deep-strike capabilities.
Zelensky said he and Burnham also discussed joint defence production, including drones and other technologies.
The two leaders met some of about 200 Ukrainian military personnel who had spent three weeks in Britain receiving maritime security and counter-mine training for possible future operations in the Black Sea.
Downing Street said British support for Ukraine had reached £25 billion since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, including £16 billion in direct military assistance.
Zelensky is due to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, according to a White House official.
The official said US-led negotiations to end the war remained stalled while Washington’s attention was focused on the conflict with Iran.
Update
Andy Burnham and Volodymyr Zelensky met at a UK naval base in Portsmouth and on board HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The meeting was Burnham's first bilateral with a foreign leader.
Burnham pledged new Stone Cloak jamming technology to help protect Ukrainian drones.
Zelensky said he had invited Burnham to visit Ukraine and later thanked Britain for the electronic warfare technologies.
The leaders discussed joint defence production, including drones and other technologies.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 16:49:47 UTC.
Update
Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Britain on Monday for the visit.
Andy Burnham used his first bilateral meeting with a foreign leader to stress UK support for Ukraine.
Zelensky described the UK-Ukraine alliance as the strongest relationship in the two countries' history.
Downing Street said Britain would share information on the Stone Cloak electronic jamming capability.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 13:18:24 UTC.
Update
Downing Street said Burnham and Zelensky are set to visit a naval base and meet British and Ukrainian armed forces personnel involved in training Ukrainian service members.
London said the Stone Cloak jammer is tablet-sized, attaches to drones and can hinder Russian air defence systems from tracking and targeting drones in flight.
Downing Street said thousands of Stone Cloak jammers have already been given to Ukraine and that the technology may be mass-produced in Ukraine.
Zelensky told Sky News he wanted a drone deal with Britain and a drone factory in Britain.
Zelensky said Ukraine does not have enough missiles to defend against Russian ballistic missiles.
Downing Street said about 200 Ukrainian military personnel and sailors have been in Britain for a maritime security and counter-mine exercise.
Downing Street said UK support for Ukraine has reached £25 billion since Russia's full-scale invasion, including £16 billion in direct military assistance.
Zelensky is due in Washington on Tuesday for talks with US President Donald Trump, according to a White House official cited in the item.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 03:14:12 UTC.
Update
Burnham and Zelensky are set to visit a British naval base and hear from personnel involved in training Ukrainian service members.
London said it will share with Kyiv the intellectual property behind the Stone Cloak electronic jamming capability.
Downing Street said thousands of the jammers have already been given to Ukraine.
About 200 Ukrainian military personnel and sailors have spent three weeks in Britain on a maritime security and counter-mine exercise.
Downing Street said total UK support for Ukraine has reached £25 billion, including £16 billion in direct military assistance.
Zelensky is due in Washington on Tuesday for talks with US President Donald Trump and is expected to attend US senator Lindsey Graham's funeral.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 July 2026 at 22:01:46 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The source attributes claims about Stone Cloak's battlefield usefulness and effect on Russian air-defence systems to Burnham, Zelensky and Downing Street.
Source
AFP news report published on .