The Kremlin has accused Britain of siding with Ukraine in the war and said the latest missile announcement would fuel the fire of the conflict.
As Prime Minister Andy Burnham was visiting Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Britain of doing everything it could to prevent any progress towards an eventual peace deal after it was reported UK-made drones were carrying out attacks on Russian soil.
“Britain is involved in this war on the side of the Kyiv regime,” he said. “Britain methodically and regularly adds fuel to the fire, and methodically and regularly hatches schemes to prevent even the slightest progress in the peaceful settlement process.”
Mr Burnham was in Ukraine on his first official visit as UK Prime Minister, where he told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Britain was “100 per cent behind you” and condemned what he called “outrageous threats” coming out of Moscow.
He arrived in Kyiv as Ukraine was marking its Independence Day. Mr Burnham is also reportedly handing over blueprints so Ukraine can build its own long-range missiles.
Moscow warned London last week of unspecified “consequences” for supplying drones to Kyiv, accusing Britain of deepening its involvement in the war following a report that British-made drones had been used for long-range strikes against Russia for the first time.
Mr Burnham said at the time that London was fully committed to supporting Ukraine in “this illegal war”.
Sir Richard Moore, the former head of MI6, told the BBC on Monday that Russia had a history of perpetrating attacks in the UK stretching back almost a decade. “All the UK is doing is supporting the Ukrainians' right to defend themselves against aggression,” he said. “Of course we need to be mindful of Russian activity and I'm afraid the Russians do have us in their sights, and we have to make sure that we are resilient enough to defend ourselves appropriately against the sort of what is sometimes called 'grey-zone activity' from the Russians.”
Ambassador withdraws
Russia's embassy in London confirmed the country's long-standing ambassador was withdrawn this summer.
Andrey Kelin left last month after seven years in the UK capital in which he developed a combative profile, warning of how the country was implicated by its support for Ukraine. “London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer,” declared one Telegram post by Mr Kelin.
Mr Burnham used his first foreign policy speech to resist the Russian line. “Despite Russia’s outrageous threats to my country, we will continue our support for Ukraine,” he said. “Ukraine has been Europe’s protector, not a drain on our security but the front line in keeping Europe safe.”
Mr Burnham announced the UK would permit defence company MBDA to release classified information on British components of long-range Scalp missiles, so France and Ukraine can proceed with a plan for Ukrainian assembly of the missile.
He is co-chairing a meeting with Mr Zelenskyy, as well as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, who will join by video link.
