Burnham is to welcome Zelenskyy to No 10 with £45m missile pledge as Trump's Russian diesel deal sparks fury

From the Newshound archive · first published 14 October 2026.

Andy Burnham will host Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street on Wednesday, pledging £45 million in surface-to-air missiles and faster delivery of British lightweight multirole missiles proven effective against Russian jet-powered drones. The visit is a direct riposte to Trump, who bought Russian diesel, attacked Zelenskyy personally and called for him to be removed from office. Burnham declared the UK's support "rock solid" and vowed to go "further and faster" for Ukraine.

Trump's Russian diesel deal — buying 300,000 tons — has enraged Ukraine and sparked anger among European allies, with Washington accusing Europe of hypocrisy.

Chancellor John Healey is urging international partners at IMF meetings in Bangkok to back a full ban on Russian liquefied natural gas exports.

Zelenskyy said Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilians after the diesel deal amounted to a 'thanks' from Vladimir Putin.