Burnham visits Kyiv, backs Ukraine missile assembly on Independence Day

London,UPDATED: Aug 24, 2026 19:02 IST

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham chose Kyiv for his first international visit on Monday, marking 35 years of Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union. During the visit, he condemned Russia's "illegal war" and handed critical missile blueprints to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Burnham, who took office last month, used the visit to underline that Britain's support for Ukraine remains unchanged. He also took part in Independence Day events in Kyiv and co-chaired his first meeting of the Coalition of the Willing on continued support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

Burnham agreed to allow the European multinational defence firm MBDA to release classified information on UK components for the long-range missile SCALP, as Ukraine and France seek to set up local assembly lines for the weapon in Ukraine. SCALP is the French-produced version of the UK's Storm Shadow, and both use shared French and British technology.

"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," Burnham said. "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," he said.

Burnham reiterated the continuity of Britain's support for Ukraine. His office said the UK was among the first countries to give long-range strike weapons for defensive purposes to Ukraine in 2023, and will now deepen that cooperation by allowing the French and Ukrainians to move ahead with assembly of the missile in Ukraine. According to 10 Downing Street, the latest step also complements the UK's major push to quickly develop low-cost advanced long-range strike weapons for Ukraine through Project Brakestop.

The move drew allegations from Russia that Britain was "adding fuel to the fire" through its long-range missile agreement with Ukraine. Responding to Moscow's reaction, Burnham told reporters in Kyiv, "Who started the fire? That's the question, isn't it? Ukraine did not do that. Russia began this illegal invasion, and that is absolutely clear, and they could stop it at any given time. People would expect me to be out here showing our unflinching support. And that's what I'm doing," he said.

As Burnham assured international partners of Britain's "steadfast" support for Ukraine, he was presented with an award on behalf of the British people in recognition of the United Kingdom's support since the conflict began over four years ago. Downing Street said the UK has been one of Ukraine's foremost partners since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, providing military, economic and diplomatic support under the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership. It said this includes leading efforts with France, as co-chairs of the Coalition of the Willing, to secure Ukraine's long-term security, along with a commitment of 25 billion pounds in funding, including 16 billion pounds in military assistance and 5.6 billion pounds in non-military support. The UK signed the 100-year partnership agreement with Ukraine in January 2025, setting out commitments on defence, security and other policy areas.

Burnham's Kyiv visit combined a strong political message with a new defence step, as Britain reaffirmed support for Ukraine, backed local missile assembly plans and repeated that it would stand with the country until there is a just and lasting peace.

With PTI Inputs

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