Russia has lashed out at Britain, accusing UK of pouring fuel on fire by supplying blueprints for components to make long-range Scalp missiles when Andy Burnham visits Kyiv.
The Kremlin maintained that Andy Burnham, the British Prime Minister has “methodically and regularly pours fuel on the fire”.
But Mr Burnham shot back: “Who started the fire? That’s the question, isn’t it?”
In a speech in the Ukrainian capital, Mr Burnham had vowed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine in spite of “outrageous” threats against Britain from Russia.
It comes after the government announced it will help Ukraine produce long-range Scalp missiles by sharing blueprints for its British components.
Mr Burnham warned that Putin should be in no doubt about Britain’s resolve to support its ally.
And the PM called for members of the so-called ‘coalition of the willing’ – Ukraine’s key supporters in Europe and overseas – to send more interceptor missiles to Kyiv.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier said: “Britain is participating in this war. It is participating in this war on the side of the Kyiv regime. Britain methodically and regularly pours fuel on the fire and methodically and regularly plots to prevent any progress in the peace process.
“Our armed forces are conducting the relevant work, obtaining the relevant information in order to identify the production sites of such missiles, the production sites of other military equipment, and are taking measures to destroy these sites.”
The UK will provide information about French-produced versions of the UK’s Storm Shadow, which Ukraine has been using to hit targets in Russia. Paris is looking to set up local assembly lines to produce them in the country.
The weapons will be a valuable addition to the Ukrainian arsenal while Russia stalls over talks to end the conflict, which started when it illegally invaded in 2022.
In a speech in Kyiv – his first overseas visit since taking office – Mr Burnham said: “I will honour every commitment my country has made to Ukraine in full.
“We will continue to build the 100-year partnership between our two countries, bringing together our cities and our schools, our businesses and our communities, learning from each other and growing together for decades to come.
“And despite Russia’s outrageous threats to my country, we will continue our support for Ukraine’s defence. I know you need more help to protect your skies and your civilians. I know how hard the winters have been and the need to be ready this year when the nights draw in.”
And he stated: “We are with you in this struggle all the way, heart and soul. And as Prime Minister, let me say that I am with you personally.”
On Monday the PM signed a landmark AI deal to use Ukrainian battlefield data to develop new military capabilities. The UK becomes the first country to be granted access to Kyiv’s top secret Avengers AI labs, a vast database of information picked up by thousands of daylight cameras and infrared sensors across the war-torn country.
Tanks, artillery, air defence systems and aerial targets like drones are all captured by the cameras, and fed back to train Ukrainian AI. The data will now be used to train British AI models on what to do if critical capabilities such as energy infrastructure came under attack.
It will be trialled at an unnamed UK defence site to protect bases from protestors and hostile actors. The project will turn fibre-optic cables into a giant AI-enabled sensor, which could be used to protect airports, prisons, railways and energy plants from attacks. Another joint pilot will explore developing next-generation low-power AI chips designed to power drones, robotics and autonomous systems.
Downing Street said the latest rhetoric from Moscow would not impact Britain’s actions. A No10 spokeswoman told reporters: “Our support of Ukraine has been long-standing since 2022 when they launched their initial attack. And that will remain the case.
“I think we’ve always been very clear about how we feel about Russia’s barbaric actions. We have consistently said that across the last four years, and nothing has changed in that regard.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly pleaded for more US-made Patriot interceptor missiles in recent months. Supplies of the weapons have been impacted by the chaotic war in the Middle East – with Russia stepping up its ballistic missile strikes, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 100 in just three days.
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.
He met Mr Zelensky at an event marking the 35th anniversary of the country’s independence from the Soviet Union. The Ukrainian President presented Mr Burnham with an award recognising the UK’s support.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine would “not submit” to Russia, saying: “Ukrainians will not be cobblestones under the feet of tsars and rulers.”
The Government has agreed that defence firm MBDA can release classified information on UK components for the long-range Scalp missile – the French-produced version of the UK’s Storm Shadow.
Both missiles use shared French and British technology. Ukraine and France are looking to set up local assembly lines for Scalp missiles in Ukraine.
The move follows the UK being the first to gift long-range strike weapons for defensive purposes to Ukraine in 2023 and will allow the French and Ukrainians to move forward with the Ukrainian assembly of the missile.
It also complements the major UK effort to rapidly develop low-cost advanced long-range strike weapons for Ukraine through Project Brakestop.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the UK has committed a range of military, economic, and diplomatic support, underpinned by the UK and Ukraine’s 100 Year Partnership. This includes £16billion in military assistance and £5.6bn in non-military support.
Moscow recently threatened “consequences” over the reported use of British drones by Ukraine in its recent ramping up of deep strikes into Russia’s mainland.
Last week, Russia accused the UK of deliberately escalating the conflict in relation to the UK-made drones and said the deeper the country’s involvement became, “the higher the price it will pay”.
Source: Mirror
