The BLUF - July 28th

Good morning everyone,

This is Atlas, and you’re reading the Bottom Line Up Front, where we cover the top geopolitical stories from around the world every Tuesday!

Today’s topics:

• P.M. Burnham & Pres. Zelensky Reinforce Ties & Discuss Drone Partnership

• Trump Hails Progress In Talks With Iran Amid Drone Attacks In The Region

• UN Humans Rights Chief Warns Israel Against Occupation In Lebanon

P.M. Burnham & Pres. Zelensky Reinforce Ties & Discuss Drone Partnership

_{By: Atlas}

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham met Monday at a British naval base, where they discussed joint drone projects and Ukraine's urgent need for ballistic missile interceptors to counter Russian attacks.

Zelensky's visit was the first by a foreign leader since Burnham took office a week ago, and the prime minister said it signaled the UK's "unwavering" support for Kyiv as it defends itself against Russia's four-year-old, full-scale invasion. Burnham is the fifth British prime minister Zelensky has dealt with since Russia launched the war in February 2022.

"You are the first leader I have welcomed in person since taking office, and that is no accident," Burnham told Zelensky. "It is intended to send a very clear message: we are with Ukraine 100%, I am personally with you 100%, and I will honor every commitment this country has made to Ukraine in full."

Zelensky said the two countries' relationship was "stronger than ever." The meeting, aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth docked at Portsmouth on England's south coast, came a day before Zelensky is expected to visit President Donald Trump in Washington.

Burnham's predecessor, Keir Starmer, was in the Ukrainian capital less than two weeks ago in his last overseas trip before leaving office, and Burnham said he planned to visit soon. During that Kyiv trip, Starmer pledged fresh funding and was awarded Ukraine's Order of Freedom.

Stone Cloak Technology Transfer

The centerpiece of Monday's announcements was Burnham's decision to hand Ukraine the intellectual property behind the UK's new "Stone Cloak" electronic warfare system, enabling Kyiv to produce the technology at scale.

The tablet-sized, battle-tested jammers are designed to block Russian air defense systems from detecting the drones they are fitted to, providing Ukraine with more lethal long-distance strike capabilities. The Ministry of Defence has already given thousands of the devices to Ukrainian forces to bolster their drone operations.

"Stone Cloak is the best of homegrown British innovation and proven on the frontline, and it will be vital to protecting our security in both our countries," Burnham said. "It will help them to hit their targets and help save Ukrainian lives."

Following its deployment in Ukraine and potential mass production there, the technology is expected to be built into the UK's next generation of long-range strike weapons, including Project Brakestop, a government program to develop low-cost cruise missiles.

Zelensky wrote on X that he was "grateful" for the decision to provide Ukraine with electronic warfare technologies that would "certainly be useful on the battlefield." He said the leaders also discussed "joint defense production," adding: "Together, we can achieve even more in the field of drones and other technologies." Britain and Ukraine already have a deal to work together on new drones, and Zelensky told Sky News beforehand that he hoped to build a "big, big factory" in Britain.

Missile Defense and Winter Preparations

Burnham said the two leaders "talked at length" about Kyiv's need for more interceptors to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles, "particularly in terms of Ukraine protecting critical national infrastructure during the winters."

"We've taken away some things that we will now follow up with our partners," Burnham said after the meeting.

Russia has intensified strikes on gas stations, power facilities, and other infrastructure this year in a broad campaign to strain Ukraine's logistics and energy networks. Zelensky acknowledged the pressure in his Sky News interview, saying "we don't have enough missiles" to defend against Russia's air attacks. Moscow "can increase the production of ballistic missiles and that's why we need air defense as soon as possible," he said.

The leaders also met more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel who have spent the past three weeks in Britain participating in Exercise Sea Breeze, a maritime exercise aimed at strengthening warfighting capabilities and counter-mine measures for future operations in the Black Sea.

Downing Street said the UK's total support for Ukraine has reached 25 billion pounds ($33 billion) since 2022, including 16 billion pounds in direct military assistance. Burnham used his first major interview as prime minister to reiterate the UK's pledge to spend 3.5% of GDP on defense by 2035, telling the BBC that he and Chancellor John Healey were working to ensure the defense investment plan was "fully funded" before the autumn budget.

Overnight Attacks Continue on Both Sides

The visit unfolded as Russia and Ukraine traded another wave of long-range strikes. Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with 147 long-range drones, according to Ukraine's air force, which said it intercepted or jammed 123 of them.

In Zaporizhzhia, one person was killed and two injured in attacks that damaged a residential high-rise and several private homes. A Russian strike on the town of Balakliia in the Kharkiv region killed one person and wounded eight, while strikes in the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region damaged a kindergarten, residential buildings, and infrastructure, injuring a woman and a 6-year-old boy. In the eastern Kharkiv region, a regional council member said Russian forces destroyed every gas station along the roughly 93-mile highway between Kharkiv and Poltava, a key supply route linking the country's second-largest city with central Ukraine.

Romania's Ministry of National Defense said a drone briefly entered its airspace before crossing the river border into Ukraine — the fourth such incident in as many days, after the NATO member shot down the three previous drones.

In Moscow, Russia's Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 276 Ukrainian drones overnight. Rostov regional Governor Yuri Slyusar said five people, including a child, were killed when a Ukrainian drone hit an apartment building in Rostov-on-Don, while Ukraine's military General Staff said its forces struck an export terminal in the city, setting it ablaze. Ukrainian strikes also targeted a drone control relay station in the Moscow-held part of the Kherson region and a bridge over the Henichesk Strait used for Russian military logistics.

Washington Ahead

From the UK, Zelensky travels to Washington for Tuesday's meeting with Trump, whose attention has been consumed by the US war with Iran. "I understand the United States is focusing on the Middle East," Zelensky said, adding that he would "try to manage it with some Europeans and with Americans and with some other countries."

Trump recently told Zelensky he was giving Ukraine permission to build US-designed Patriot air defense systems capable of downing ballistic missiles, and Congress has advanced bipartisan legislation targeting countries purchasing Russian energy. While in Washington, Zelensky is also expected to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, a key proponent of US support for Ukraine who died unexpectedly earlier this month, a day after returning from Kyiv.

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