Burnham says he wants to 'repair bridges' between Ukraine and US

What the report says

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said it is his role to “repair bridges” between Ukraine and the United States as he prepared to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street, according to BBC World News. The comments came after Donald Trump said he had reached a deal with Moscow on Russian diesel imports, prompting fresh tension around Western support for Kyiv.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Burnham avoided directly criticising Trump and instead said he wanted to be careful about helping restore cooperation. He told MPs Zelensky would not leave the UK “empty-handed,” with further military and financial support expected to be outlined in the coming weeks. BBC World News reported that the government is also planning to increase sanctions pressure on Russia and speed up deliveries of air defence missiles to Ukraine.

The UK is expected to urge allies to intensify pressure on Moscow as well, including a push for a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas at International Monetary Fund meetings. The report said Burnham spoke with Zelensky by phone at the weekend, describing it as a difficult moment ahead of winter for Ukraine.

Zelensky’s visit is his second to the UK since Burnham became prime minister, following an earlier trip in July. More broadly, the developments reflect ongoing diplomatic efforts to keep Western backing aligned while the war continues and Kyiv faces another severe winter.