Burnham to hand Ukraine long-range missile blueprints on first Kyiv trip

Kremlin reacts to Burnham’s missile plan

He claimed Britain was already a participant in the war on Ukraine’s side and accused London of working to prevent progress towards a peace deal, according to the Guardian’s Europe live blog.

Andy Burnham has arrived in Kyiv on his first visit to Ukraine as Prime Minister, where he is expected to hand Volodymyr Zelensky British blueprints for long-range cruise missiles.

The Kremlin has already warned the plan will inflame relations with London.

Rather than shipping a finite number of weapons from British stockpiles, the package is designed to let Ukraine build its own long-range cruise missiles.

BBC News reported that Burnham would hand the designs to Zelensky during the visit, which falls on Ukraine’s Independence Day.

It is a capability rather than a consignment, and not one that can be switched off later.

Ukraine marked Independence Day with an overnight drone strike that set three Ozon logistics centres alight.

Ozon, an online marketplace often described as Russia’s Amazon, which Kyiv says supports Moscow’s military.

It follows a run of Russian and Ukrainian missile incidents rattling Europe.

For Burnham, the trip is the clearest foreign-policy statement of his premiership so far, and a test of whether his grip on the Labour party extends to the international stage.

Zelensky is expected to meet him in the Ukrainian capital later on Monday.