Zelensky meets UK PM Burnham, heads to Washington for Trump talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Monday, marking Mr Burnham's first meeting with a foreign leader since taking office last week. The two visited a naval base in Portsmouth where British service members are training Ukrainian personnel. Mr Burnham vowed to continue his predecessor's support for Ukraine's defence against Russia and announced additional technological support, including new homegrown jamming technology to protect Ukrainian drones. He said the UK would continue to lead a coalition of the willing and, when a ceasefire is in place, would be ready to deploy a multinational force to strengthen Ukraine's security for the long term.

From the UK, President Zelensky headed to Washington, D.C., where he will meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. It will be their fifth meeting and their third at the White House during President Trump's second term. The meeting comes as Russian bombs continue to flatten homes in eastern Ukraine. At least one civilian was killed in a Russian strike on Zaporizhia on Monday morning. The UN has warned that Russia is intensifying strikes on agricultural infrastructure, leading Ukraine to suspend some grain exports critical to global food supplies.

Ukraine said it targeted an oil facility in Russia's Udmurt Republic, 1,300 kilometres from Ukraine's border. Ukraine acknowledged it had fired hundreds of drones and claimed not all of them had hit military targets. One drone hit a block of flats in Rostov-on-Don, killing five people, including a child, according to regional officials. Ukraine has not confirmed any civilian deaths in that attack.

Later on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the lower house of parliament at the Kremlin, condemning Western economic pressure and vowing to win the war. He accused the West of trying to destabilise Russia and using terrorist methods against the Russian people. He said participants in the special military operation were fighting heroically for Russia and that the whole nation supported them.

Expert analysis from Mara Karlin, former acting deputy under secretary of defense for policy in the Biden administration, noted that the UK has been a real leader in political and military support for Ukraine. She said the pledge on drone technology was a good thing, but ballistic missiles remain the biggest challenge. On the upcoming Trump meeting, she said the last meeting between the two presidents at the NATO summit went well and that President Trump appeared impressed by Ukraine's military progress. She noted a key thing to watch is whether President Trump decides to send his negotiators to Ukraine for the first time, as they have visited Russia about eight times but not yet Ukraine.

President Zelensky is also expected to meet all members of the US Senate, who are due to vote on a Russia sanctions bill. After the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, there appears to be momentum to support Ukraine and put sanctions on Russia in his memory. Ms Karlin said the impact of the sanctions bill might be less than it would have been before the war in the Middle East, because waivers have allowed Russia to benefit financially. She also stressed the importance of finding ways to stop ballistic missiles, as Ukraine's interceptor numbers are dwindling.