Andy Burnham offers defiant Ukraine warning after CIA chief makes unannounced Russia journey
Prime Minister Andy Burnham stood firm on his backing for Kyiv, saying ‘We are supporting them, and that won’t change’ amid fears over further Russian aggression
Andy Burnham looks at debris from a recent strike on Lukanivska market in Kyiv(Image: Getty Images)
Andy Burnham issued a defiant message about the UK’s support for Ukraine amid fears of fresh aggression from Russia.
The Prime Minister stood firm on his backing for Kyiv, saying: “We are supporting them, and that won’t change.” It comes as the head of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, flew to Moscow for unannounced talks on Tuesday, triggering widespread speculation that it could pre-empt new military action by Vladimir Putin.
“There were contacts with the intelligence services,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, told reporters. “There were no meetings with the president of Russia. That’s all I can say on the subject. Naturally, President Putin is briefed immediately about everything,” he added.
One of the last known times a CIA chief travelled to Russia was in the months ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Recent US intelligence reports have reportedly warned that Putin may attempt to test Nato’s resolve by mounting a small land incursion in the next few years.
The Kremlin appears to have been emboldened by stalled peace talks as Donald Trump’s attention is fixed on his disastrous war with Iran.
Asked if Brits should be worried that the talks herald the possibility of attacks by the Russians on the UK, Mr Burnham said: “It’s a challenging situation when we look around the world right now.
“But from what we’re doing, people need to be sure of this: We’re doing what we’ve done since the start of this conflict, which is to provide that back-up support to Ukraine to be able to defend themselves, because they do need to do that.
“They are obviously in an impossible situation, so challenging, but Britain needs to be there and be a constant as they go through this illegal invasion that they’re facing.
“So, we will continue to do that. Prime ministers before me gave that assurance and I visited Ukraine to send a really clear message to the Ukrainian people that Britain isn’t changing course. We said we would support them. We are supporting them, and that won’t change.”
The Prime Minister travelled to Kyiv on Monday for his first visit to Ukraine since coming to office, where he told President Volodymyr Zelensky there would be “no change in the UK’s steadfast support”.
In a move that angered the Kremlin, Mr Burnham agreed to share top-secret blueprints to help Kyiv build long-range Scalp missiles, which can hit deep into Russia.
A spokesman for Putin said Britain “methodically and regularly pours fuel on the fire”. But Mr Burnham shot back: “Who started the fire? That’s the question, isn’t it?”
Mr Burnham also appealed to Ukraine’s allies to send more interceptor missiles to Kyiv at his first coalition of the willing meeting. He said he hoped to use a trip to the US in September to lobby Donald Trump for more support for Ukraine.
Mr Burnham signalled he would attend the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, with officials preparing the ground for a potential meeting with the US President.
