UK Prime Minister to urge Trump to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine
Photo: Andy Burnham (Getty Images)
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said that he will travel to the US in September alongside other European leaders to try to bolster Ukraine's defenses, according to an interview with Bloomberg.
According to the official, they will go to the US to persuade President Donald Trump to grant Ukraine access to part of the Patriot interceptor missile stockpiles ahead of winter.
"I’m looking forward to going to New York in September. I’ve not fully confirmed the details yet but it’s likely I will go, particularly after today’s discussion. Leaving today, I’m quite clear what I need to do in the next few weeks," Burnham said.
His comments came during his first international visit since taking office as prime minister. On August 24, he arrived in Ukraine and chaired a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, as well as holding a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to the official, he left with a sense of real great optimism that Ukraine's current difficulties in defending against Russian ballistic missiles, caused by a shortage of air defense interceptor missiles, are solvable.
He added that European leaders are considering the possibility of holding another Coalition of the Willing meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to secure the supply of American interceptors and other missile defense systems from other countries.
"That would seem to be the most likely pace of direction. Not confirmed yet, but that seemed like where most people’s minds were going," Burnham said.
He stressed that while the UK does not use the Patriot missiles that Ukraine needs, other European countries need to step up.
"There are other players who could help in the mix who we have influence with. It’s probably going to be a solution that involves a lot of layers and a lot of negotiation," he concluded.
What else is known
Yesterday, Andy Burnham stated that Britain would make a significant contribution to strengthening Ukraine's air defense ahead of winter.
In addition, it became known yesterday that Ukraine is to produce Storm Shadow long-range missiles independently. Burnham announced that Britain has officially approved the transfer of the relevant technologies and will involve defense companies in the cooperation.
