Britain will boost Ukraine’s capacity to make its own long-range missiles, Andy Burnham will announce on Monday, as he travels to Kyiv for the country’s independence day on his first foreign visit as prime minister.
Burnham will arrive in the Ukrainian capital on Monday morning at a crucial time in the war, with Kyiv braced for another wave of Russian missile attacks and the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, facing his most direct domestic challenge.
Declassification of missile components
The UK prime minister will use the trip to announce that the UK government will allow the European defence company MBDA to declassify information about UK-made components of the Anglo-French Storm Shadow/Scalp missiles to help Ukraine build its own version.
While the announcement will probably take years to have an impact on the war, it is likely to escalate tensions with Moscow at an already fraught moment in UK-Russian relations.
Burnham said in a statement on Sunday night: “On Ukraine’s 35th anniversary of independence, the Ukrainian people should be in no doubt: the UK is behind you 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 it directly from me that our support will not waver. After all, Ukraine’s security is our security.
“The friendship between our two countries will long outlast Russia’s illegal war. In both the fight and in the rebuilding to come, we will stand with Ukraine and deliver opportunities for people across both our countries.
“Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve. We will not back down until there is a just and lasting peace.”
Support from France and Germany
Burnham will announce in Kyiv that the UK will help France set up assembly lines in Ukraine for long-range missiles, which the French president, Emmanuel Macron, promised last month.
Macron spoke to Zelenskyy on Saturday to promise to deliver separate interceptor missiles, which could help counter the recent barrage of high-speed Russian missile attacks on Kyiv.
Meanwhile, European leaders have condemned Friday’s drone attack on a busy shopping centre in central Ukraine, which killed 16 people in Zelenskyy’s home town of Kryvyi Rih.
Air defence challenges
The Ukrainian military has run out of US-made Patriot interceptors, and the US president, Donald Trump, recently backtracked on a promise to let Ukraine build its own.
However, Zelenskyy said over the weekend he still wanted to buy more US-made Patriots, adding that Ukraine was happy to pay for them rather than receive them as military aid. “I wanted to secure 300 Patriot missiles for the winter package,” he said. “The request from our air force is 360.”
He added that he had reached an agreement with France on at least one air-defence system this year, and with Germany on the supply of about 600 interceptors in 2027-28.
Macron posted on X on Saturday: “It is crucial to provide Ukraine with all the necessary means to defend its skies and thwart this aggression … It is essential that all countries with capabilities at their disposal also join this effort.”
The British announcement is a small step in a much larger and longer-term project that could lead to Ukraine making its own long-range versions of the Storm Shadow cruise missile in several years’ time.
Russian tensions and diplomatic moves
But the move is likely to trigger further criticism from Moscow at a time when tensions between the UK and Russia are already high.
Last week, Russia accused the UK of deliberately escalating the conflict by allowing Ukraine to launch attacks with British-made drones, warning that the deeper Britain’s involvement, “the higher the price it will pay”.
This weekend it emerged that Russia had withdrawn its ambassador in London without naming a replacement, prompting speculation it was downgrading its diplomatic presence in the UK.
Burnham has insisted that Russian threats will not weaken British support for Ukraine, saying last week: “We are not fair-weather friends. We will be there in Ukraine’s hour of need, and that won’t change.”
The prime minister will on Monday use a meeting of the coalition of the willing, which comprises 34 countries that have promised to help secure Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia, to underline that commitment.
The meeting will be co-chaired by Burnham and Macron, who will join remotely via video link. Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, will also take part in the call as the leaders discuss ways to help Ukraine repel the recent wave of long-distance attacks.
While there, Burnham will attend independence day events, the details of which are being kept secret amid concerns of a major Russian attack, and receive an award in recognition of the UK’s support for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy is facing the most concerted internal political challenge of his presidency after the call for an election by his former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
The Ukrainian president responded to Fedorov’s dramatic announcement for the first time this weekend, telling reporters on Saturday that holding elections, which have been suspended since the war began, risked splitting the country.
“I believe that if we want to destroy the country, then during such a war we can move in the selection of elections,” he said in a briefing to selected journalists that was held on Saturday, but details of which were reported on Sunday.
“I believe that during such a war, elections in general are big risks. Elections right now are a tsunami for the state that will split Ukraine,” he added.
