Ukraine’s Zelenskyy holds first call with new UK PM Andy Burnham

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a phone conversation with the United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, the Ukrainian leader said in a post on his Telegram channel.

“I was pleased to speak with Andy Burnham and congratulate him on assuming the office of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,” Zelenskyy wrote.

The two leaders agreed to discuss further UK-Ukraine cooperation during an upcoming meeting, the Ukrainian president added.

Andy Burnham, a long-serving Labour politician and former Mayor of Greater Manchester, succeeded Keir Starmer as UK Prime Minister on July 20, 2026, without a general election.

He became the new Leader of the Labour Party shortly before assuming office, marking the UK's seventh prime minister in a decade following Starmer's resignation after about two years in power.

Burnham, first elected as MP for Leigh in 2001, previously held cabinet roles and gained prominence for his work on regional issues like transport and devolution in Greater Manchester.

By Jeyhun Aghazada