Prime Minister Andy Burnham has arrived in Kyiv to reaffirm Britain's backing for Ukraine on his first overseas visit as Prime Minister. His arrival comes as Ukraine marks its 35th independence day, with numerous world leaders making the journey to Kyiv in a demonstration of unity.
Commemorations and Talks in Kyiv
On Monday morning, Mr Burnham paid his respects by laying a wreath and flowers at the graves of Ukrainian soldiers at the National Military Cemetery, forming part of commemorations marking the country's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
During the ceremony, he held discussions with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who told the Prime Minister "we are in a war period" and highlighted Ukraine's challenges in defending against Russian ballistic missile strikes.
Coalition of the Willing and Missile Support
Later in the day, Mr Burnham is due to lead his first session of the "coalition of the willing", established by the UK and France to support Ukraine under his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer, and receive an honour on behalf of the British public acknowledging the UK's assistance.
He is also scheduled to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who became the first foreign leader to visit 10 Downing Street following Mr Burnham's succession from Sir Keir.
Prior to the visit, Mr Burnham revealed that the UK would assist Ukraine in manufacturing long-range Scalp missiles by providing blueprints for its British components to Kyiv. The weapons are the French-manufactured equivalents of the UK's Storm Shadow, which Ukraine has been deploying to strike targets in Russia, and Kyiv and Paris are looking to set up domestic production facilities to manufacture them within the country.
Mr Burnham said: "Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve. We will not back down until there is a just and lasting peace."
Moscow's Threat and Political Turmoil
Last week, Moscow threatened consequences for the reported use of British drones for strikes deep into Russia. Russia accused the UK of deliberately escalating the conflict and said the deeper the country's involvement became, "the higher the price it will pay".
The embassy accused Britain of 'seeking to contain Russia and inflict maximum damage on it by proxy'. "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."
The UK Prime Minister's trip arrives at a time when Mr Zelensky is grappling with internal political turbulence stemming from tensions with his former defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, who was dismissed last month following reports of a disagreement with Ukraine's military chief. Mr Fedorov, whose dismissal sparked several weeks of widespread demonstrations, has demanded that Mr Zelensky organise elections, insisting that democracy "should not be the hostage of Putin". He has also called for Mr Zelensky to face questions over what he knew about alleged corruption in his inner circle.
Last week, Ukraine's anti-corruption authorities said they had uncovered a money-laundering plot, leading Mr Zelensky to sack one of his senior officials over their alleged involvement. The president has denied any involvement, telling reporters over the weekend: "The heads of anti-corruption agencies have zero questions for me. They understand perfectly well that I am not involved in anything like that."
