Russia accused Britain of repeatedly taking steps that deepen its involvement in the conflict and prevent progress towards a negotiated settlement.
The move has drawn a sharp warning from Moscow, which said British military support was adding “fuel to the fire” and obstructing efforts towards a peace deal. Russia has accused the UK of ‘directly’ participating in the war in Ukraine after London agreed to share classified information to help Kyiv develop its own long-range missiles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow viewed the decision extremely negatively. “The production sites of such missiles, the production sites of other military equipment” would be identified, he said, with Russian forces intent on destroying them. Burnham rejected Moscow’s accusations and described Russia’s threats against Britain as “outrageous”. Speaking in Kyiv, he said Britain would maintain its support for Ukraine despite the Kremlin’s warnings. He compared Ukraine’s struggle against Russia with Britain’s fight against Nazi Germany and said Europe owed a debt of gratitude to Ukrainians for resisting Moscow. “My nation kept the flame of European freedom alive in the 20th century, you hold that flame in the 21st,” Burnham said in a speech outside St Sophia Cathedral.
Peskov also warned that Russia was already working to locate facilities involved in producing long-range missiles and other military equipment. Burnham made the remarks as European leaders gathered in Kyiv to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day. The British prime minister also joined a conference call with leaders of the Coalition of the Willing, a group of countries that have pledged to help guarantee Ukraine’s security in the event of a future truce with Russia. European Council President António Costa travelled to Kyiv alongside Burnham, while French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were expected to participate remotely.
Burnham was expected to announce that Britain had authorised defence company MBDA to share previously classified information about British-made components used in the SCALP long-range cruise missile. The warning came as Prime Minister Andy Burnham arrived in Kyiv on Monday for his first overseas trip since taking office.