Image: UK MoD ©
Prime Minister Andy Burnham arrived in Kyiv on Monday for his first overseas trip since taking office, pledging Britain’s continued backing for Ukraine on the country’s Independence Day.
The visit follows Burnham’s July meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London, held just weeks after Burnham became prime minister. He told the Ukrainian people the UK stands firmly behind their independence, adding that Russian threats only harden British resolve.
Burnham used the trip to announce that the government has cleared defence firm MBDA to share classified data on UK components used in the SCALP missile. The move will let France and Ukraine set up local assembly lines for the weapon. SCALP is the French-built equivalent of Britain’s Storm Shadow missile, and both rely on shared UK-French technology.
The decision builds on Britain’s 2023 move to become the first country to supply long-range strike weapons to Ukraine for defensive use. It also complements Project Brakestop, a UK programme developing low-cost, long-range strike weapons for Ukrainian forces.
“Ukraine’s security is our security,” Burnham said, marking the country’s 35th anniversary of independence. He added that UK-Ukraine friendship would outlast Russia’s war.
While in Kyiv, Burnham co-chaired his first meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, which he leads alongside France, and met other international partners to discuss further support for Ukraine.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, the UK has committed £25 billion in assistance to Ukraine, including £16 billion in military aid, according to a recent government statement.
Learn more on the UK MoD website
