Andy Burnham has pledged to continue Britain’s support for Ukraine as he told the country it was keeping “the flame of European freedom” alive in the 21st century.
In an address outside St Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv on Monday, the Prime Minister praised the “sheer strength” of the Ukrainian people and described their country as “Europe’s protector, not a drain on our security but the front line in keeping Europe safe”.
Mr Burnham went on to compare Ukraine’s resistance to Russia to the UK’s fight with Nazi Germany, saying: “My nation kept the flame of European freedom alive in the 20th century, you hold that flame in the 21st.”
The Prime Minister made his address during celebrations to mark the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union.
He travelled to Kyiv earlier on Monday, making his first foreign trip since becoming Prime Minister in July in an effort to underline the UK’s support for Ukraine.
After arriving in the country by train, Mr Burnham laid a wreath and flowers at Ukraine’s national military cemetery before attending the independence day event at St Sophia.
Ahead of the trip, the Prime Minister announced that the UK would help Ukraine produce long-range Scalp missiles by sharing blueprints for its British components with Kyiv.
The weapons are the French-produced versions of the UK’s Storm Shadow, which Ukraine has been using to hit targets in Russia, and Kyiv and Paris are looking to set up local assembly lines to produce them in the country.
Britain’s support for Ukrainian strikes has drawn condemnation from Moscow, with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov saying his country had the right to regard the “direct involvement of British missile forces” as “participation in the war, with all the ensuing consequences”.
In his speech in Kyiv, Mr Burnham vowed that he would not be deterred from providing aid to Ukraine, saying: “Despite Russia’s outrageous threats to my country, we will continue our support for Ukraine.”
During Monday’s event in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented Mr Burnham with an award recognising the UK’s support.
In his own independence day speech, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine would “not submit” to Russia, saying: “Ukrainians will not be cobblestones under the feet of tsars and rulers.”
Later, Mr Burnham is expected to chair his first meeting of the Anglo-French-led “coalition of the willing” and hold a meeting with Mr Zelensky, who was the first foreign leader to visit 10 Downing Street under his premiership.
But his visit comes as Mr Zelensky faces domestic political strife caused by a rift with his former defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, who was sacked last month after reportedly falling out with the head of Ukraine’s armed forces.
Mr Fedorov, whose sacking triggered weeks of mass protests, has called for Mr Zelensky to hold elections, arguing democracy “should not be the hostage of Putin”.
He has also called for Mr Zelensky to face questions over what he knew about alleged corruption in his inner circle.
Last week, Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities said they had uncovered a money-laundering plot, leading Mr Zelensky to sack one of his senior officials over their alleged involvement.
The president has denied any involvement, telling reporters over the weekend: “The heads of anti-corruption agencies have zero questions for me.
“They understand perfectly well that I am not involved in anything like that.”
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