Event
Prime Minister Andy Burnham will make his first foreign visit to Kyiv on Monday to reaffirm UK support for Ukraine on its 35th independence day. He will chair the first meeting of the "coalition of the willing" and accept an award recognising British support. The visit follows escalating Russian strikes, including one on a shopping centre that killed at least 16 people, and Moscow's warnings over the use of British drones. Burnham is also set to announce that MBDA will declassify information on UK components for the long-range Scalp missile.
2 published stories · security · source reliability 67%
The Prime Minister’s first foreign trip coincides with Ukraine’s 35th independence day, as the UK moves to declassify missile technology data and reaffirm institutional support amidst escalating diplomatic friction with Moscow.
Background
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is scheduled to make his first foreign visit to Kyiv on Monday, coinciding with Ukraine’s 35th independence day. The trip aims to reaffirm UK support for Ukraine amidst escalating Russian strikes, including a recent attack on a shopping centre that killed at least 16 people. Burnham will chair the inaugural meeting of the "coalition of the willing," a group established by the UK and France under former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Additionally, the UK government has agreed to allow defence company MBDA to declassify information on UK components for the long-range Scalp missile, a system that shares technology with the UK's Storm Shadow. This move follows Moscow's warnings regarding the use of British drones in strikes on Russian infrastructure.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is scheduled to make his first foreign visit to Kyiv on Monday, coinciding with Ukraine’s 35th independence day. The trip aims to reaffirm UK support for Ukraine amidst escalating Russian strikes, including a recent attack on a shopping centre that kil
Fact cards
Key entities: Andy Burnham, Volodymyr Zelensky, United Kingdom, Ukraine, MBDA, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
What is the "coalition of the willing"? It is a group established by the UK and France under former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with its first meeting to be chaired by Andy Burnham in Kyiv. What is the significance of the MBDA declassification? It allows the sharing of UK co
BBC World | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyqypkrzq5o | published 2026-08-23T23:07:10.000Z | primary source | The Guardian Politics | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/24/andy-burnham-ukraine-long-range-missile-technology-kyiv-visit | published 2026-08-23T23:01
2026-08-21: A Russian strike on a shopping centre in Ukraine kills at least 16 people. 2026-08-23: Russia confirms that Ambassador Andrei Kelin has left his post in London. 2026-08-24: Prime Minister Andy Burnham visits Kyiv for Ukraine's 35th independence day.
Timeline
A Russian strike on a shopping centre in Ukraine kills at least 16 people.
Russia confirms that Ambassador Andrei Kelin has left his post in London.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham visits Kyiv for Ukraine's 35th independence day.
FAQ
It is a group established by the UK and France under former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with its first meeting to be chaired by Andy Burnham in Kyiv.
It allows the sharing of UK component information for the long-range Scalp missile to aid Ukrainian production, as the Scalp is the French equivalent of the UK's Storm Shadow.
It coincides with Ukraine’s 35th independence day and follows escalating Russian strikes and diplomatic friction over the use of British drones.
The UK is allowing MBDA to declassify information on Storm Shadow missile components to help Ukraine build its own long-range missiles.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron are co-chairing the meeting, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also participating.
Ukraine faces a shortage of US-made Patriot interceptors and wants to reduce reliance on foreign aid, with President Zelenskyy stating Ukraine is willing to pay for 300 Patriot missiles.
Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called for an election, which Zelenskyy argues risks splitting the country during the war.