British Prime Minister Andy Burnham made his first international trip since taking office in July 2026 by visiting Kyiv on August 24 for Ukraine’s 35th independence anniversary and to co-chair the Coalition of the Willing meeting [1, 2, 3]. During the visit, Burnham pledged the UK’s "unwavering" support for Ukraine, saying Britain is committed to Ukraine’s security "for as long as it takes" and will "not back down" until a just and lasting peace is achieved [1, 4, 3]. He told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that "the UK is behind you today and for as long as it takes" and warned that Russia "should be in no doubt of our resolve" [3].
Burnham highlighted Russia’s increased ballistic missile attacks targeting Ukrainian civilians ahead of winter, which have killed at least 23 people and wounded over 100 in recent days before his visit [4]. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin was attempting "a campaign of terror" with ballistic missile strikes that "can never be the route to victory" [1].
Since 2023, the UK and France have supplied Ukraine with long-range Storm Shadow/Scalp cruise missiles. On August 24, Burnham announced the UK would release blueprints for British components so Ukraine and France can eventually produce their own versions of these missiles [2, 5, 3]. However, Ukraine faces a severe shortage of US-made Patriot interceptor missiles needed to defend against the increasing missile threat, with stocks running dangerously low [2, 6, 4, 5, 7, 8].
Burnham said the ballistic missile defense shortfall in Ukraine is "fixable" but will require "a lot of layers and a lot of negotiation." He noted that the UK does not operate Patriot systems but believes other European countries will have to step up in the effort [6, 4, 5, 7, 8]. He plans to attend the UN General Assembly in New York in September to join European leaders lobbying US President Donald Trump to release Patriot missile stocks to Ukraine, saying, "I’ve not fully confirmed the details yet, but it’s likely I will go, particularly after today’s discussion" [6, 4, 7, 8].
Zelenskyy said Trump’s message of support "lifted spirits much like the sound of a Patriot PAC-3 launch" [5]. Moscow condemned the UK’s support, with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov threatening to destroy Ukrainian factories producing Storm Shadow missiles and accusing the UK of escalating the war [2].
Burnham’s visit and announcements reinforce Britain’s role as a key ally amid escalating missile attacks. His planned trip to New York in September aims to secure vital US Patriot missiles to bolster Ukraine’s defenses before winter.
