UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Monday that he and other European leaders are considering traveling to the US next month to press President Donald Trump to help Ukraine secure additional Patriot air defense interceptors ahead of the winter.
Speaking to Bloomberg in Kyiv late Monday, Burnham said he expects to attend the UN General Assembly in New York in September, which would mark his first visit to the US since becoming prime minister.
“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,” he said. “Leaving today, I’m quite clear what I need to do in the next few weeks,” he said, according to the report.
Burnham made the comments during his first international trip as prime minister. He chaired a meeting of Ukraine’s allies for the first time and held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly appealed to European countries and the US for Patriot missile interceptors, warning that Ukraine needs to replenish its stocks before winter, when Russia is expected to intensify attacks on energy infrastructure.
According to Bloomberg, Burnham said he left Kyiv “really optimistic” that Ukraine’s current air defense shortages were “fixable.”
He said European leaders were considering holding another “Coalition of the Willing” meeting around the UN General Assembly meeting with a view toward securing American interceptors and stocks from other countries, the report said.
“That would seem to be the most likely pace of direction,” Burnham said. “Not confirmed yet, but that seemed like where most people’s minds were going.”
He acknowledged that the UK itself does not operate the Patriot systems Ukraine needs, meaning other European countries will have to play a key role.
“There are other players who could help in the mix who we have influence with,” Burnham said. “It’s probably going to be a solution that involves a lot of layers and a lot of negotiation.”
