British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, along with other European leaders, will travel to the US next month to press Donald Trump for missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot systems. The trip is linked to the UN General Assembly meetings in New York in September and is intended to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence.
Briefly about the main points
- Burnam and European leaders are planning meetings in the US in September.
- The negotiations are expected to focus on missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot systems.
- The 81st session of the UN General Assembly opens on 8 September.
- Zelenskyy and Björn discussed strengthening the air defence system with anti-ballistic capabilities.
- Ukraine has stated that it is prepared to purchase missiles in accordance with its partners’ decision.
The New York negotiating venue
The visit will take place against the backdrop of the 81st session of the General Assembly UN, which opens in New York on 8 September. The High-Level Week is scheduled for 18–28 September, and the general debates among world leaders are scheduled for 22–26 and 28 September.
According to NATO, European allies and partners are already funding priority packages of US military equipment for Ukraine through the PURL mechanism, with the Alliance coordinating their delivery. As of June, they had committed to providing over 6 billion dollars through this mechanism.
Kyiv emphasises the need for anti-ballistic defence
On 25 August, Burnham discussed with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv the urgent need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence, particularly with anti-ballistic missiles. Zelenskyy had previously stated that Ukraine was ready to purchase missiles for the Patriot system, but that this would require political decisions from its partners, first and foremost the United States.
