Burnham to visit Kyiv on first foreign trip as PM, reaffirm UK support
The move comes as French President Emmanuel Macron explores the possibility of establishing production lines in Ukraine to assemble Scalp missiles locally
Prime Minister Andy Burnham will travel to Kyiv on Monday on his first foreign trip as prime minister, seeking to reaffirm Britain's support for Ukraine as the country marks the 35th anniversary of its independence.
Burnham is expected to announce that the UK government has agreed to allow defence company MBDA to declassify technical information on British components used in the long-range Scalp missile, the French counterpart to Britain's Storm Shadow missile, says the BBC.
The move comes as French President Emmanuel Macron explores the possibility of establishing production lines in Ukraine to assemble Scalp missiles locally.
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Burnham will also chair his first meeting of the "coalition of the willing", a joint security group established by France and Britain under his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer.
During the visit, Burnham will accept an award on behalf of the British people in recognition of Britain's continued support for Ukraine.
The trip comes after an intensification of Russian attacks on Ukraine, including a strike on a shopping centre that killed at least 16 people and injured 130.
Responding to the attacks, Burnham said: "Ukraine's security is our security" and stressed that British support for Kyiv would not waver.
Moscow has also warned of "consequences" over Ukraine's use of British-made drones to attack targets inside Russia. The drones have recently been used against oil refineries and warehouses.
The Russian embassy in London accused Britain of "deliberately opting for an escalation". Burnham rejected the warnings, saying Britain was providing defensive support and was "not fair-weather friends".
Burnham's visit also comes as diplomatic ties between Britain and Russia face a transition. Russia has confirmed that its ambassador to Britain, Andrei Kelin, recently left his post in London.
The Kremlin has not yet named a replacement, while the Russian embassy has said Kelin's departure does not represent a downgrade in diplomatic relations.
Ukraine has maintained a close relationship with Burnham since he became prime minister. President Volodymyr Zelensky was the first foreign leader to visit Burnham at Downing Street following his election as prime minister in July.
