Burnham to meet Zelensky in wake of Trump’s diesel deal with Moscow

Andy Burnham will welcome Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street after a difficult few days in relations between Kyiv’s allies and Washington (Henry Nicholls/PA)PA WireChristopher McKeon4 minutes agoNews Briefings

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Andy Burnham will welcome Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street on Wednesday in a show of support after Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Russia.

The Prime Minister is expected to use the visit to announce an acceleration of military support for Ukraine, and to pledge further rounds of sanctions aimed at Moscow.

The accelerated support will see faster deliveries of British lightweight multirole missiles to Ukraine, which have proved effective against Russian jet-powered drones.

Monday will also see the UK urge its allies to increase the pressure on Russia, with Chancellor John Healey using IMF meetings in Bangkok to call for a ban on Russian liquified natural gas (LNG).

The Chancellor will call for a ban on Russian LNG (Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA)PA WireAhead of his meeting with Mr Zelensky, the Prime Minister said the UK’s support for Ukraine was “rock solid” and “vital for keeping us safe here in the UK”.

He said: “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.”

The meeting in Downing Street follows what Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described as a “very difficult few days” in relations with Washington following Mr Trump’s decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel ahead of US mid-term elections overshadowed by rising fuel prices.

The UK responded to news of the deal by pledging to “maintain pressure on Russia”, while Mr Burnham telephoned Mr Zelensky on Saturday to express his “complete solidarity” with Kyiv.

Recent days have also seen the US president suggesting Ukraine needs a new leader and claiming Vladimir Putin wants a peace deal more than the government in Kyiv.

And on Tuesday, the Ukrainian president said his government had received no warning from its partners about a Russian ballistic missile strike the previous evening, raising fears the US had stopped sharing intelligence with Kyiv.

But Mr Trump insisted the US was still sharing intelligence with Ukraine as he left the White House for a campaign trip to Alaska later the same day.

On Tuesday night, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine had suffered further ballistic missile attacks with no warning, including a strike on one of Kyiv’s main power plants.