Burnham to press Trump on Patriot missiles for Ukraine
UK prime minister Andy Burnham has pledged to lobby Donald Trump for more Patriot air defence missiles for Ukraine, as Zelenskyy thanks world leaders for independence day messages.
A day after Kyiv hosted world leaders for Ukraine's independence day celebrations, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to social media to thank those who sent well wishes, including US president Donald Trump. Zelenskyy noted that Trump's message of support lifted spirits "much like the sound of a Patriot PAC-3 launch" — a pointed reference to Ukraine's urgent need for more air defence.
The US-made Patriot system has been critical in shielding Ukrainian cities from Russian attacks, but stockpiles are running low. The shortage has worsened as the US and Israel's war against Iran diverted Patriot interceptors to protect American bases and regional allies in the Middle East, leaving fewer available for Ukraine even as Russia keeps launching waves of ballistic missiles.
Burnham's Kyiv visit
On his first international trip as prime minister, Andy Burnham arrived in Kyiv, where he announced the UK would release blueprints for British-made components of the Scalp missile — a French version of the UK's Storm Shadow cruise missile — allowing Ukraine to produce its own version jointly with France. "Ukraine has been Europe's protector, not a drain on our security, but the frontline of keeping Europe safe," Burnham said.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Burnham said he plans to travel to New York next month to join other European leaders in lobbying Trump to supply Ukraine with Patriot missiles — a trip that would mark his first as prime minister to the US. He said he was optimistic the interceptor shortage was fixable, though he acknowledged a solution would likely require extensive negotiation among several parties.
Elsewhere
European council president António Costa is travelling to Slovakia, where he will meet prime minister Robert Fico in Bratislava; Fico has been less forthcoming than other European leaders on military aid to Ukraine. Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is hosting the Vatican's senior diplomat Paul Gallagher in Moscow. German chancellor Friedrich Merz, back from summer recess, is meeting ministers in Brandenburg, facing a tough state election in Saxony-Anhalt on 6 September amid a surge for the far-right AfD.
