British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to travel to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, marking his first official international visit since taking office. The visit coincides with Ukraine’s 35th Independence Day, where Burnham will reaffirm the United Kingdom’s unwavering support for Ukraine.
During the trip, Burnham will chair the inaugural meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing”—a group of allied nations formed jointly by the UK and France to provide long-term security assistance to Kyiv. In addition to participating in Independence Day ceremonies, he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On the occasion of Ukraine’s 35th independence anniversary, Burnham emphasized that the UK stands fully behind Ukraine for as long as necessary. Highlighting that Ukraine’s security is directly linked to Britain’s own security, he stated that the UK will not back down until the conflict ends with a just and lasting peace.
As part of the visit, Britain will announce support to help Ukraine build its own long-range missile defense capabilities. The UK government plans to permit defense manufacturers to share classified details regarding British components used in “SCALP” missiles. This move is expected to assist Ukraine and France in establishing local assembly and manufacturing lines within Ukrainian territory.
The SCALP missile (known as “Storm Shadow” in the UK) relies on joint British and French technology. France and Ukraine are currently working together to set up local production and assembly hubs in Ukraine.
Burnham’s visit comes at a time of escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Russia has intensified strikes on Ukrainian targets, while Ukraine has expanded its long-range counterattacks. To date, the UK has committed approximately £25 billion in total military and non-military assistance to Ukraine.
Although Russia has warned Britain against assisting Ukraine with long-range strikes inside Russian territory, Prime Minister Burnham has reiterated that British commitment to Kyiv remains steadfast. Following Burnham’s assumption of office on July 20, President Zelenskyy was the first foreign leader to meet with him.
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