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Andy Burnham has said he is likely to attend the UN general assembly in New York next month, a chance for the new prime minister to meet a host of world leaders.
While Downing Street said the plans were not definite, the prime minister told Bloomberg in an interview: “I’m looking forward to going to New York in September.”
Speaking in Kyiv after a meeting with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Burnham went on: “I’ve not fully confirmed the details yet but it’s likely I will go, particularly after today’s discussion. Leaving today, I’m quite clear what I need to do in the next few weeks.”
If it did take place, it would be Burnham’s first visit to the US since taking office, and could potentially provide an opportunity for a face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump.
Dozens of world leaders gather annually for the general assembly. This year’s meeting takes place from 22-28 September, which could be logistically tricky for Burnham given Labour’s annual conference begins in Liverpool on 27 September.
Attending would give Burnham the opportunity to meet a number of other world leaders at once, even if bilateral talks tend to be brief amid the frenetic schedule of the gathering.
Burnham’s policy background is predominantly domestic, and since entering No 10 he has had to rapidly develop a foreign policy – thus far very similar to that of Keir Starmer – and get to know world leaders.
In Kyiv on Monday, for his first official overseas trip since becoming prime minister in July, Burnham laid a wreath for Ukraine’s Independence Day, joining a number of other European leaders, including the European council president, António Costa.
He also used the trip to announce that the UK government would allow the European defence company MBDA to declassify information about UK-made components of the Anglo-French Storm Shadow/Scalp missiles to help Ukraine build its own version.
During his meeting with Zelenskyy, Burnham said there would be “no change in the UK’s steadfast support” for Kyiv.
He also urged Ukraine’s allies to send more Patriot 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”.
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Zelenskyy has pleaded for more the US-made 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 the US’s war against Iran, with Ukraine receiving significantly fewer missiles this year than in previous years.
During the interview with Bloomberg, Burnham said he felt “really confident” the weaponry problem was fixable, but added: “There are other players who could help in the mix who we have influence with. It’s probably going to be a solution that involves a lot of layers and a lot of negotiation.”
Russia has sought to capitalise on the shortage by increasing its ballistic missile strikes, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 100 in the past three days.
Russia has threatened unspecified potential retaliation against the UK for what Moscow says is increased involvement in the conflict.
