UK's PM Burnham to visit Ukraine with plan to support long-range missile production

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will visit Ukraine on Monday to co-chair a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing and announce British support for expanding Ukraine's domestic production of long-range missiles. Britain will allow MBDA to release classified information on British-made components used in the SCALP cruise missile, enabling local assembly lines in Ukraine and France. The visit underscores continued UK support for Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will visit Ukraine on Monday for his first overseas trip since taking office, co-chairing a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing and meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky. He will announce that Britain has agreed to allow European missile manufacturer MBDA to release classified information on British-made components used in the SCALP long-range cruise missile, which shares British and French technology. This will help enable France and Ukraine to establish local assembly lines for the missile. "Ukraine's security is our security," Burnham said, adding that Britain would stand by Ukraine "for as long as it takes." The visit comes weeks after Zelensky traveled to Britain in late July as Burnham's first international guest. Britain has been one of Ukraine's strongest supporters since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion, providing military support, economic aid, and diplomatic backing. It was the first country to announce plans to supply Ukraine with Western-made battle tanks and long-range cruise missiles, and has pledged over £25 billion in military and civilian support. Moscow warned London last week of "consequences" for supplying drones to Kyiv. The push to expand Ukraine's domestic missile production comes as Ukraine increasingly relies on long-range drones and strike weapons to target Russian oil refineries and logistics facilities.