Britain will help Ukraine expand its capacity to manufacture long-range missiles as Prime Minister Andy Burnham travels to Kyiv on Monday for Ukraine’s Independence Day, in his first foreign visit since taking office.
Burnham is expected to announce that the UK government will allow European defence company MBDA to declassify information on British-made components used in the Anglo-French Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles. The move is intended to help Ukraine develop and eventually manufacture its own long-range missile systems.
The announcement comes as Ukraine braces for further Russian missile and drone attacks and faces growing pressure on its air-defence capabilities.
“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 in a statement issued on Sunday night.
“I am proud of the contribution our country has made to Ukraine and I want the Ukrainian people to hear it directly from me that our support will not waver. After all, Ukraine’s security is our security.”
He added: “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 will also announce that Britain will assist France in establishing missile assembly lines in Ukraine, following French President Emmanuel Macron’s pledge last month to support the development of long-range missile production inside the country.
Macron spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday and pledged additional interceptor missiles to help Ukraine defend its airspace against intensified Russian attacks.
