Burnham to visit Kyiv on first foreign trip and reaffirm UK support for Ukraine

What the report says

Andy Burnham is due to make Kyiv the destination of his first overseas trip as prime minister, using the visit to underline continued UK support for Ukraine and to mark the country’s independence day, according to BBC World News. The trip follows a period of intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine and a fresh warning from Moscow about possible “consequences” over the reported use of British drones by Ukrainian forces.

During the visit, Burnham is expected to chair the first meeting of the UK- and France-led “coalition of the willing,” a diplomatic effort created under his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer. He is also set to receive an award on behalf of the British people in recognition of UK support for Ukraine and to take part in independence day events in Kyiv.

Burnham said Ukraine should have no doubt about Britain’s backing and argued that Ukrainian security is tied to UK security. He added that the relationship between the two countries would outlast Russia’s war and that London would continue supporting Kyiv until there is a lasting peace.

The BBC also reports that the government plans to let defence firm MBDA declassify information about UK components used in the long-range Scalp missile, which shares technology with the UK’s Storm Shadow system. The visit comes amid heightened tensions between London and Moscow and further underlines the political and military importance of Western support for Ukraine.