UK PM Burnham arrives in Kyiv, pledges help with long-range missile production

UK prime minister Andy Burnham arrived in Kyiv on Monday alongside several European leaders and officials to mark Ukraine's Independence Day. He was photographed at Kyiv railway station shaking hands with Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha.

According to Sybiha, Burnham was joined on the trip by European Council president António Costa, Luxembourg prime minister Luc Frieden, Moldovan president Maia Sandu, and Estonian president Alar Karis.

"For Ukraine, independence is not an abstract idea. We defended it against all odds. In times like these, nations learn how important it is to have allies by your side," Sybiha wrote on X, adding that today it is clear who Ukraine's true friends are.

Boosting missile production

A spokesperson for the UK prime minister's office said Burnham would tell Ukrainians that Britain is "four-square behind Ukraine's independence, and Russia's threats only strengthen the UK's resolve."

During the visit, Burnham plans to announce that the UK government will allow European defence firm MBDA to declassify information about UK-made components used in the Anglo-French Storm Shadow/Scalp long-range missiles. This is intended to help Ukraine build its own version of the missile, marking a significant boost to the country's weapons development capacity at a critical stage of the war.

Burnham is also expected to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and chair his first meeting of the Coalition of the Willing during the trip.