STORY
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has travelled to Kyiv for his first overseas visit since taking office, as Ukraine marks the 35th anniversary of its independence. Burnham is expected to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and take part in Independence Day events, with the Government saying the visit is intended to reaffirm continued UK support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
During the visit, Burnham announced that the Government has agreed to allow defence company MBDA to release classified information about British components used in the SCALP long range missile. SCALP is the French produced version of the UK’s Storm Shadow missile and uses shared British and French technology. The move is intended to allow France and Ukraine to progress plans to establish missile assembly lines inside Ukraine.
Burnham is also due to co chair a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing alongside other international leaders gathered in Kyiv. The Government said the UK has committed £25 billion in support to Ukraine since Russia’s full scale invasion, including £16 billion in military assistance and £5.6 billion in non military support. The Kremlin criticised the missile announcement on Monday, accusing Britain of escalating its involvement in the conflict.