British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will travel to Kyiv on Monday, his first overseas visit since taking office, to reaffirm the United Kingdom’s support for Ukraine and to take part in the country’s 35th independence anniversary events.
Të lidhura
None found
During his stay in the Ukrainian capital, Burnham is expected to lead for the first time a meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing,” an initiative set up by the United Kingdom and France when his predecessor, Keir Starmer, was prime minister.
He is also expected to accept, on behalf of the British people, an award recognizing the United Kingdom’s support for Ukraine, and to attend the ceremonies organized for Independence Day.
The visit takes place at a time when Russian attacks on Ukraine have escalated in recent weeks; on Friday, a strike on a shopping center caused at least 16 victims.
Ahead of the visit, Burnham said that the Ukrainian people “should have no doubt” that the United Kingdom stands with Ukraine, today and for as long as it takes.
“I am proud of the contribution our country has made to Ukraine and I want the Ukrainian people to hear directly from me that our support will not waver. Ultimately, Ukraine’s security is our security,” he said.
Burnham added that the friendship between Ukraine and the United Kingdom will “live far longer than Russia’s illegal war,” stressing that London will not back down until a just and lasting peace is achieved.
The visit also comes after Moscow’s warnings of “consequences” regarding Ukraine’s use of British drones in recent attacks on Russian infrastructure.
Kyiv has intensified long-range strikes on Moscow and other Russian regions, hitting oil refineries and warehouses of Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retail company.
The Russian embassy in the United Kingdom has accused London of “deliberately escalating the crisis in Ukraine,” warning that the deeper Britain’s involvement in the conflict, the higher the “price it will pay.”
In response, Burnham declared that Britain is not “a fair-weather friend” and that it will be there for Ukraine “in its hour of need.”
He also reiterated that the United Kingdom is providing support so that Ukraine can defend itself and that this has been British policy throughout the conflict.
During the visit to Kyiv, Burnham is also expected to announce that the British government has agreed to allow the defense company MBDA to declassify information on the British components of the long-range Scalp missile, the French version of the British Storm Shadow missile.
Both missiles use shared British and French technology, while French President Emmanuel Macron is considering the possibility of setting up Scalp missile assembly lines in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was the first foreign leader to be received at Downing Street after Burnham took office as prime minister in July.
Burnham’s visit also takes place at a time when Russia has confirmed the departure from London of its ambassador, Andrei Kelin, who has completed his term in recent weeks.
The Kremlin has not yet appointed a successor, while the Russian embassy in the UK told the BBC that this does not indicate an intention to downgrade diplomatic relations between the two countries.
