Andy Burnham will make Kyiv the destination of his first overseas visit as prime minister on Monday, where he will reaffirm the UK's continued support for Ukraine and join the country in marking its 35th anniversary of independence.
During the visit, Burnham is expected to chair his first meeting of the “coalition of the willing”, an international group established by the UK and France under his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer.
The prime minister will also accept an award on behalf of the British people in recognition of the UK's support for Ukraine and participate in events marking Ukraine's Independence Day.
His visit comes amid a recent escalation in Russian attacks across Ukraine, including a strike on a shopping centre on Friday that reportedly killed at least 16 people.
Ahead of his trip, Burnham said Ukrainians should have no doubt about Britain's commitment to their country. He stressed that the UK's support would continue for as long as necessary, arguing that Ukraine's security is closely linked to Britain's own security.
Burnham also said the relationship between Britain and Ukraine would endure beyond Russia's ongoing invasion, insisting that the UK would remain committed to achieving a fair and lasting peace.
The visit follows warnings from Moscow over Britain's involvement in Ukraine's use of long-range drones against Russian infrastructure. Kyiv has intensified its attacks on targets inside Russia, including oil facilities and warehouses belonging to major businesses.
The Russian embassy in London has accused the UK of deliberately escalating the conflict and warned that Britain's involvement could come at a greater cost.
Responding to the threats, Burnham has maintained that Britain's position remains focused on helping Ukraine defend itself. He said the policy was consistent with the approach taken by previous UK governments and would continue under his leadership.
During his Kyiv visit, Burnham is also expected to announce that the government has authorised defence company MBDA to declassify information concerning British components used in the long-range SCALP missile, the French counterpart to Britain's Storm Shadow system.
The two missiles share British and French technology, while French President Emmanuel Macron is considering plans to establish local SCALP missile assembly facilities in Ukraine.
Burnham's visit comes shortly after Russia confirmed that its ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, had departed his post in London.
