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Andy Burnham has urged Ukraine’s allies to send more interceptor missiles to Kyiv as Ukraine struggles under continued Russian bombardment.
Chairing his first meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing”, the Prime Minister said the group was doing “everything we can” to “dig into our own stocks and help others dig into their stocks”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly pleaded for more US-made Patriot interceptor missiles in recent months as Kyiv’s stocks have diminished.
Supplies of Patriots have been diverted to the Middle East since the outbreak of war with Iran, with Ukraine receiving significantly fewer missiles this year than in previous years.
Speaking later on Monday, Mr Zelensky welcomed the talks between the coalition of the willing but said “now, we have to deal with a funding gap”, including the option of bringing forward part of the European loan to Ukraine, or unlocking frozen Russian assets.
“The total gap is 27 billion,” he said in a post on X.
“One of the main options is to bring forward part of the European loan funding this year. But we should not give up on other ideas for how to ensure fair protection in this war – a war that Russia started and continues to prolong.”
Russia has sought to capitalise on the shortage by stepping up its ballistic missile strikes, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 100 in the past three days alone.
At a meeting of the coalition of the willing in Kyiv on Monday, Mr Burnham said the group was “working with our allies outside of this coalition” to resolve the issue, arguing Ukraine “needs more help to protect its people right now”.
He also called on the US to “ratchet up” economic pressure on Russia, arguing Moscow’s economy was struggling under a record budget deficit and declining oil revenues and urging American legislators to impose further sanctions.
While Mr Burnham called for more supplies of interceptor missiles to Ukraine, he has used his visit to Kyiv – his first foreign trip as Prime Minister – to announce more British support for the country’s long-range weapons.
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