UK PM Burnham to visit Kyiv with pledge to boost Ukraine's long-range missile production

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will arrive in Kyiv on Monday for his first foreign visit since taking office, timed to coincide with Ukraine's independence day. During the trip he plans to announce that the UK government will allow European defence company MBDA to declassify information about UK-made components of the Storm Shadow/Scalp missile, helping Ukraine develop its own version of the long-range weapon.

While the move is expected to take years before it affects the battlefield, it risks further inflaming already tense relations between London and Moscow. In a statement issued Sunday night, Burnham said UK support for Ukraine would not waver and that Britain would stand by Kyiv for as long as necessary.

Burnham will also announce that the UK will help France establish assembly lines for long-range missiles inside Ukraine, fulfilling a pledge made last month by French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron spoke with Zelenskyy on Saturday and separately promised to deliver interceptor missiles that could help counter a recent wave of high-speed Russian missile attacks.

European leaders have condemned Friday's drone strike on a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy's home town, which killed 16 people. Ukraine's military has exhausted its supply of US-made Patriot interceptors, and President Trump recently reversed a pledge to allow Ukraine to manufacture its own. Zelenskyy said he still wants to purchase additional Patriot systems, offering to pay for them rather than receive them as aid, and noted an agreement with Germany for roughly 600 interceptors in 2027-28.

Last week Russia accused Britain of deliberately escalating the conflict by permitting Ukraine to use British-made drones in attacks, warning of consequences. It has since emerged that Russia withdrew its ambassador from London without naming a successor, fuelling speculation about a downgrade in diplomatic ties.

On Monday, Burnham will also co-chair, with Macron, a meeting of the 34-country coalition of the willing committed to helping secure Ukraine under any future peace deal; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will also join. Burnham will attend independence day events in Kyiv and receive an award recognising UK support for Ukraine.

Zelenskyy is meanwhile facing his most serious domestic political challenge yet after former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for elections. Zelenskyy said over the weekend that holding elections during wartime risked splitting the country.