Burnham set to attend UN assembly in New York to solicit Zelenskyy with US missiles

PM likely to attend general assembly after Kyiv meeting

Burnham spoke to Bloomberg in an interview, saying he is “looking forward to going to New York in September.”

Despite officials at Downing Street saying the plans are not yet definite, Burnham seems set on heading to the US.

After Monday’s meeting of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Kyiv, the PM spoke to the press, saying: “It’s not fully confirmed yet but it’s likely I will go, particularly after today’s discussion.

“Leaving today, I’m quite clear what I need to do in the next few weeks,” he added.

Although the general assembly can be quite hectic to interact with other heads of government due to its tight scheduling, flying to New York could prove to be Burnham’s opportunity to discuss the Ukrainian issue with other world leaders. 

Burnham got to sit down with a number of European leaders on Monday, including European Council president, António Costa.

The Prime Minister’s background is predominantly domestic, rapidly developing policies within the first weeks since entering No 10. 

However, Burnham has had to develop a foreign policy fairly quickly, which was shown in backing Ukraine when the UK faced Russian threats. 

While in Kyiv, the PM also announced that the UK would allow the European defence company, MBDA, to declassify Anglo-French missiles to come in aid to Ukraine.

With Ukrainian missile stocks deplenishing, Zelenskyy has pleaded for more US-made missiles.

However, US Patriot aid towards Ukraine has decreased in recent months as Trump diverts its attention towards Iran.

During his interview with Bloomberg, Andy Burnham said: “There are other players who could help in the mix who we have influence with.

“It’s probably going to be a solution that involves a lot of layers and a lot of negotiation.”

Attending the UN general assembly would be Andy Burnham’s first visit to the US since becoming Prime Minister on 20 July, which could provide an opportunity to meet with Donald Trump face-to-face.