The Kremlin said Tuesday it had “no hope” for better ties with the UK, a day after Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham took office, with Moscow criticizing his support for Ukraine.

Russia sees the UK as one of the most hostile Western countries, with relations at historic lows over a litany of issues – including accusations of Russian poisonings on UK soil – long London emerged as one of Kyiv’s main backers when the Ukraine war erupted.

“We have no such hopes,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked if relations could improve. “One of his [Burnham’s] first actions was to issue statements expressing support for Ukraine and, consequently, his intention to do everything possible to continue the war,” Peskov said.

Burnham spoke to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on his first day in office on Monday. He said he would tell Zelensky there would be “no change” in London’s policy on Ukraine and that “I will be with him 100%.” London has hosted Zelensky for several rounds of talks on how to end the war in Ukraine.

In a related development, the IMF said it has green-lit Ukraine’s immediate access to about $690 million after a review of its loan program. This would take the International Monetary Fund’s disbursements under the $8.1 billion financing arrangement to around $2.2 billion.

The review comes as Ukraine pushes to maintain economic stability and act on reforms while Russia has escalated its bombardment of the country. (AFP)