UK’s Burnham in Ukraine with plan to boost long-range missile production

Kyiv. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham arrived in Ukraine on Monday for his first overseas trip since taking office, pledging continued British support for Kyiv and announcing measures to strengthen Ukraine’s domestic production of long-range missiles.

Burnham is in Kyiv on Ukraine’s Independence Day to co-chair a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, a group of countries backing Ukraine, and meet President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

During the visit, Britain announced it would allow European missile manufacturer MBDA to release classified information on British-made components used in the SCALP long-range cruise missile.

The move is intended to help France and Ukraine establish local assembly lines for the missile, which incorporates British and French technology, according to the UK Government.

“Ukraine’s security is our security,” Burnham said, reaffirming Britain’s commitment to supporting Ukraine.

Britain has been one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, providing military, economic and diplomatic assistance. The UK says its support has exceeded £25 billion ($34 billion). The visit comes amid heightened tensions between London and Moscow. The Kremlin said on Monday that Britain’s decision to share classified missile information with Ukraine would “add fuel to the fire” and deepen Britain’s involvement in the conflict.

Burnham has said Russian threats will not weaken Britain’s support for Ukraine, insisting that the UK will continue to stand by Kyiv.

The push to expand Ukraine’s domestic missile production comes as Kyiv increasingly relies on long-range drones and strike weapons to target Russian infrastructure, oil facilities and logistics sites far behind the front lines.