Andy Burnham arrives in Kyiv, UK to share long-range missile know-how with Ukraine

UK prime minister Andy Burnham arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Monday alongside several European leaders to mark the country's independence day. He was photographed at Kyiv railway station greeting Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha.

Sybiha said Burnham would be joined in Kyiv by European Council president António Costa, Luxembourg's prime minister Luc Frieden, Moldova's president Maia Sandu, and Estonia's president Alar Karis. In a post on X, the foreign minister said independence is not an abstract idea for Ukraine, since it was defended against the odds, and that moments like these show nations who their true friends are.

Support for missile development

During the visit, Burnham plans to announce that the UK government will allow European defence company MBDA to declassify information about UK-made components used in the Anglo-French Storm Shadow/Scalp long-range missiles. This would help Ukraine build its own version of the weapon, a significant boost to its arms-development capacity at a critical point in the war.

The prime minister's office said Burnham will tell Ukrainians that the UK stands fully behind Ukraine's independence and that Russia's threats only strengthen British resolve. Besides the missile announcement, Burnham is expected to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the trip and chair his first meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.