Burnham visits Kyiv after approval for Scalp component sharing
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham arrived in Kyiv for his first foreign trip, marking the visit with the announcement that European defence firm MBDA has been permitted to share information on UK components used in the Scalp missile, the French-built equivalent of Britain's Storm Shadow. The move would allow the long-range "deep precision strike" weapon, which relies on shared UK-French technology, to potentially be produced in Ukraine, deepening British defence cooperation with Kyiv amid heightened tensions with Moscow.
Burnham travelled overnight by train to attend Ukraine's independence day celebrations, where he is due to receive an award recognising UK support and reaffirm British backing for Ukraine's 35th anniversary of independence. The visit comes as Russia warns of "consequences" over UK-supplied drones being used to strike deep into Russian territory, and after Moscow described relations with Britain as being at "an unprecedentedly low level", recalling its ambassador Andrey Kelin to Moscow after seven years in post over what he called the UK's "path of confrontation".
- Burnham visits Kyiv, unveils UK missile tech-sharing deal for Ukraine's defence.
- Scalp/Storm Shadow missile components could now be produced in Ukraine.
- Russia recalls its UK ambassador amid worsening bilateral relations.
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Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has travelled to Kyiv on his first foreign trip in that role, timed to coincide with Ukraine's independence day celebrations. His visit has been paired with news that MBDA, a European defence manufacturer, has been given permission to share details of UK-made components used in the Scalp missile, a French long-range weapon that is broadly equivalent to Britain's Storm Shadow. Both missiles depend on technology shared between the UK and France.
The significance lies in what this could allow: sharing this information may make it possible for the missile, or something like it, to eventually be produced within Ukraine itself, rather than solely supplied from abroad. This would mark a deeper level of UK defence cooperation with Ukraine at a time when Britain's relationship with Russia has become increasingly strained.
That strain forms the backdrop to the visit. Russia has objected to UK-supplied drones being used against targets deep inside its territory and has described relations with Britain as being at their lowest point in years, recently recalling its ambassador after a lengthy posting in London. Burnham's trip and the missile announcement therefore sit within a wider picture of tension between the UK and Russia over support for Ukraine.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of deepening this cooperation argue that enabling Ukraine to potentially produce components of long-range precision missiles like Scalp strengthens a sovereign nation's ability to defend itself against an unprovoked invasion, and that credible deterrence, not restraint, is what will eventually bring Moscow to negotiate seriously. They see high-profile gestures such as Burnham's visit and award as reinforcing Britain's moral and strategic commitment to an ally, signalling to both Kyiv and Moscow that Western resolve will not waver even as tensions rise. From this perspective, hesitating over such support out of fear of Russian reaction would reward the ambassador-recalling brinkmanship described in the report rather than deter it.
The case against
Sceptics of expanding this kind of military-technology sharing argue that each escalatory step, however incremental, raises the risk of direct confrontation with a nuclear-armed power, and that facilitating domestic missile production in Ukraine crosses a line beyond simply supplying existing stock. They may also question whether local politicians like a regional mayor should be closely associated with sensitive defence diplomacy, seeing it as symbolism that outpaces its practical value while inflaming an already fraught relationship with Moscow. On this view, the wiser course is to prioritise off-ramps toward negotiation over further deepening the military dimension of Western involvement, out of concern for where the current trajectory ultimately leads.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Andy Burnham arrives in Kyiv for first foreign visit as he hands over top secret Storm Shadow missile plans”.