UK PM Andy Burnham to visit Kyiv in first foreign trip

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will visit Kyiv on Monday, August 24, on his first international trip since taking office last month, Downing Street said, as Ukraine marks 35 years of independence.

Burnham also announced that Britain had agreed to let defence firm MBDA release classified information on UK components for the long-range SCALP missile so local assembly lines can be established in Ukraine, according to his office.

Downing Street said the decision would allow France and Ukraine to move ahead with Ukrainian assembly of the missile. It described SCALP as the French-produced version of the UK's Storm Shadow, with shared French and British technology.

In Kyiv, Burnham is due to co-chair his first meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, a grouping of countries supporting Kyiv. The French presidency said Friday the meeting would be held in a hybrid format, with some participants attending in person and others by video. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin's office said he would participate remotely.

Burnham said in a statement that the UK was behind Ukraine “today and for as long as it takes.” Downing Street said Britain has committed about £25 billion, or $34 billion, in support to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, including £16 billion in military aid.

The trip follows a London visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Britain announced it would share information on an electronic jamming capability known as Stone Cloak for use on drones, Downing Street said.