Burnham says he is planning US trip in September to lobby for Ukraine’s defence

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) welcomes and shakes hands with Prime Minister Andy Burnham upon his arrival at Horodetskyi House ahead of their bilateral meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, during his first foreign trip, to mark Ukraine’s independence day and signal the UK’s continued support for the country under his administration. Picture date: Monday August 24, 2026. PA Wire Press Association Political Staff 3 minutes ago Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he is planning on travelling to the US in September to join European leaders in lobbying President Donald Trump on support for Ukraine’s defence.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Mr Burnham said he was “looking forward to going to New York” next month, which is when the UN General Assembly will meet.

He said details of the trip are not yet “fully confirmed” but it is “likely” to go ahead. The trip would mark Mr Burnham’s first US visit since becoming Prime Minister in July.

The comments come amid Mr Burnham’s first trip to Kyiv as Prime Minister, where the UK reiterated its “unwavering” support for Ukraine .

Ukraine in turn handed over what officials have called a “goldmine” of battlefield data to help bolster British security.

During a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky , Mr Burnham reiterated there would be “no change in the UK’s steadfast support” for Kyiv.

He also urged Ukraine’s allies to send more interceptor missiles to Kyiv as Ukraine struggles under continued Russian bombardment and co-chaired his first coalition of the willing meeting, where he said the group was doing “everything we can” to “dig into our own stocks and help others dig into their stocks”.

Mr 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.

During the interview with Bloomberg, Mr Burnham said he felt “really confident” the issue was “fixable”, but added: “There are other players who could help in the mix who we have influence with.

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“It’s probably going to be a solution that involves a lot of layers and a lot of negotiation.”

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) with Prime Minister Andy Burnham (left) in Kyiv (Henry Nicholls/PA) PA Wire 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.

During his bilateral talks with Mr Zelensky, Downing Street said Mr Burnham stressed the “strength of unity” among coalition of the willing countries.