Britain's support for Ukraine will not change, Andy Burnham has said, following news that CIA chief John Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow for unannounced talks. One of the last known times a CIA chief travelled to Russia for talks was in the months ahead of the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Burnham's Response to War Fears
Asked if Britons should be worried that the talks herald the possibility of attacks by the Russians on the UK, Mr Burnham told broadcasters: "It's a challenging situation when we look around the world right now. But from what we're doing, people need to be sure of this: We're doing what we've done since the start of this conflict, which is to provide that back-up support to Ukraine to be able to defend themselves, because they do need to do that."
"They are obviously in an impossible situation, so challenging, but Britain needs to be there and be a constant as they go through this illegal invasion that they're facing. So, we will continue to do that. Prime Ministers before me gave that assurance and I visited Ukraine to send a really clear message to the Ukrainian people that Britain isn't changing course. We said we would support them. We are supporting them and that won't change."
Russia's Threats and UK Support
This month, Russia has repeatedly threatened a response against the UK for its continued support for Ukraine in the war. The UK has provided British made drones and this week handed over blueprints to Storm Shadow cruise missiles so that Ukraine can produce their own.
Earlier this month, Moscow's embassy in Britain said the UK would pay a "price" after British-made had been deployed in strikes deep inside Russia. It accused Britain of becoming "an accomplice and co-perpetrator" of the attacks and of "deliberately opting for an escalation" in the conflict. "London's actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer," it added. "The deeper its involvement in the conflict and the greater its support for Kyiv's terrorist machinery, the higher the price it will pay."
And, again this week, senior Russian officials issued a warning to Britain after the Kremlin hit out at the country for providing Ukraine with the blueprints to produce Anglo-French Storm Shadow missiles. Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Britain was now 'participating in this war' and added: "Our armed forces are conducting the relevant work, obtaining the relevant information in order to identify the production sites of such missiles, the production sites of other military equipment, and are taking measures to destroy these sites."
In a response on Monday, Mr Burnham vowed that he would not be deterred from providing aid to Ukraine, saying: "Despite Russia's outrageous threats to my country, we will continue our support for Ukraine."
'Attack on UK is Inevitable'
Today, reports emerged of UK government emergency planning which included telling the public to 'store water and tinned food' as fears of an attack and climate change disasters rise. And Mr Burnham has also been warned that Britain faces an "inevitable" Russian attack on its defence and security infrastructure in retaliation for the UK's unwavering support for Ukraine.
Security chiefs were on high alert on Tuesday night for a potential Kremlin strike, either targeting the Prime Minister himself or key military sites, after Mr Burnham's high-profile visit to Kyiv and his decision to deepen military co-operation with President Volodymyr Zelensky, reports The Express. A senior source said: "The question being asked is, 'How long do we keep poking the bear before it bites?' An attack on the UK's defence and security infrastructure is inevitable, based on our high-profile support for Ukraine.
"Ourselves and the French are front and centre, and Burnham's visit to Kyiv and his forthright stance will have been noticed at the Kremlin. There had been some optimism in Moscow that he would be softer than Starmer on Ukraine. That was not the case. Russia will want to make a statement, through actions rather than words. That could be a drone attack, or an arson attack. There are Russian sleeper cells in this country that could do either."
