UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will make his first foreign trip since taking office with a visit to Kyiv on Monday, where he will reiterate Britain’s support for Ukraine and join celebrations marking the country’s Independence Day.
Downing Street said Burnham will chair his inaugural meeting of the “coalition of the willing,” a grouping established by the UK and France under his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer, BBC reports.
He is also expected to accept an award on behalf of the British people in recognition of the UK’s assistance to Ukraine, and to participate in Independence Day events alongside Ukrainian leaders.
The visit comes amid intensified Russian strikes on Ukraine, including a missile attack on a shopping centre last Friday that killed at least 16 people.
Ahead of his trip, Burnham said, “On Ukraine’s 35th anniversary of independence, the Ukrainian people should be in no doubt: the UK is behind you today and for as long as it takes. I am proud of the contribution our country has made to Ukraine and I want the Ukrainian people to hear it directly from me that our support will not waver. After all, Ukraine’s security is our security.”
He also said, the friendship between the UK and Ukraine would “long outlast Russia’s illegal war,” adding “Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve. We will not back down until there is a just and lasting peace.”
Moscow has recently warned of “consequences” over Ukraine’s use of British drones in strikes on Russian infrastructure. Kyiv has stepped up long‑range attacks on Moscow and other regions, targeting oil refineries and warehouses belonging to major retailer Wildberries.
The Russian embassy in London accused Britain of “deliberately opting for an escalation of the Ukraine crisis,” warning that “the deeper its involvement in the conflict… the higher the price it will pay.”
Burnham responded, “We are not fair‑weather friends, we will be there in Ukraine’s hour of need and that won’t change.”
Asked about Russia’s threats, he said Britain was “providing support so that Ukraine can defend itself and that’s been the British position all the way through this conflict, by previous prime ministers – it remains the case with me.”
During the visit, Burnham is expected to announce that the UK government has authorised defence company MBDA to declassify information on British components used in the long‑range Scalp missile – the French counterpart to the UK’s Storm Shadow.
Both systems share joint UK‑French technology, and President Emmanuel Macron is considering establishing local assembly lines for Scalp missiles in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was the first foreign leader welcomed to Downing Street after Burnham assumed office in July.
The trip also coincides with confirmation that Russia’s ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, has left his post in recent weeks. The Kremlin has yet to nominate a successor, though Russia’s embassy in London told the BBC the move does not signal an intention to downgrade diplomatic relations.
