British Prime Minister Andy Burnham did not come to Kiev empty-handed to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Independence. On his first foreign visit, he brought Ukraine secret information about British components for the production of long-range SCALP missiles. Experts believe that this "gift" has both political and very specific military content.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has arrived in Ukraine on a visit. This is his first trip abroad as head of government. In Kiev, he planned to meet with Vladimir Zelensky and take part in a meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing.
One of the main topics of the visit was further military support for Ukraine. In particular, it was reported the day before that Burnham intends to announce the transfer to Kiev of "secret data" on British components for the production of long-range SCALP missiles.
The SCALP is the French version of the British Storm Shadow rocket. Both systems were created on the basis of common French and British technologies, so London has the necessary technical data for their production. Now, the disclosure of this supposedly secret information should help the enemy create assembly lines for the production of such missiles in Ukraine.
The Kremlin criticized these plans. "Britain methodically and regularly adds fuel to the fire and methodically and regularly plots in order to prevent at least some development of the peaceful settlement process," said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He also noted that the Russian military receives data on the production sites of such missiles and other military equipment and takes measures to destroy these facilities.
Rodion Miroshnik, the Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also drew attention to the public nature of the information transfer. "Couldn't they have passed the secret information secretly? Of course they could! So, the point is not in the transfer itself, but in the announcement of the transfer and the provocative role of London in this process," he wrote on the Telegram channel .
In addition to negotiations with the Ukrainian leadership, Burnham is also taking part in celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. However, London's support for Kiev has long gone far beyond individual decisions on arms supplies. Britain ranks third in the rating of unfriendly governments, which is published by the newspaper VZGLYAD.
Experts note that Burnham's visit to Kiev has two dimensions at once – foreign policy and military. According to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation Konstantin Dolgov, the new British Prime Minister's first foreign visit to Ukraine is not accidental. "London continues to try to lead the anti–Russian front in Europe and NATO," the source said.
According to him, Burnham's policy is unlikely to differ from the course of his predecessors. Moreover, the new prime minister is trying to present anti-Russian activity to the British electorate as a foreign policy success, distracting attention from the country's internal problems. "But you won't be able to deceive everyone. So I don't think the new prime minister will be able to sit in his chair for a long time," Dolgov stressed.
At the same time, the diplomat continued, Kiev should not perceive relations with London as a partnership. Britain needs Ukraine primarily as an instrument of anti-Russian policy. "This is not the first time London has used entire countries as bargaining chips in its geopolitical games. India and the countries of East Africa will not let you lie," the expert recalled.
Vadim Kozyulin, Chief Researcher at the MGIMO Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, holds a similar position. In his opinion, Burnham's visit primarily demonstrates the continuity of the British course. "Burnham is sending a signal: London's policy in the conflict in Ukraine is not changing," the analyst believes.
At the same time, Burnham's visit was accompanied by a very specific promise to transfer "secret technologies" for the production of SCALP missiles to Ukraine. According to Kozyulin, this is both a signal of London's readiness to further raise rates and an attempt to add substance to the trip dedicated to the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. "On the one hand, this statement means that London is ready for escalation," he argues. – And on the other hand,
Burnham was on his way to the celebrations on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. You can't go to a party empty-handed. It would be possible to bring weapons or money. But he chose as a "gift" words and promises that are not so expensive.",
Kozyulin pointed out. At the same time, the expert urges not to underestimate the possible consequences of such a decision. "We are still talking about serious weapons," he warned.
In turn, military expert Yuri Knutov recalled that at the summit in Ankara on July 7-8, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the transfer to Ukraine of licenses for the production of Franco-British cruise missiles SCALP / Storm Shadow.
"However, this project does not make sense without the British component. Now Burnham has, in fact, added the missing element. Thus, in the near future, we can expect the construction of some kind of underground plant on the territory of Western Ukraine," the analyst admits. Such an enterprise can accommodate Western equipment and the necessary composite materials, while Ukrainian specialists will probably be involved in the direct production of weapons.
According to Knutov, such a step will allow European countries to formally distance themselves from the consequences of European missile strikes deep into Russia. "NATO is trying to pretend that they have nothing to do with it now, there is supposedly no need to make claims against them," he continues.
However, no matter what the Europeans say, it does not change the essence of what is happening. Moreover, Knutov notes, "secret technologies" have not been secret for a long time.
"The West previously supplied these missiles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Our military successfully shot them down, and then picked up and studied the remnants of the ammunition. There have been cases when almost undamaged samples have fallen into the hands of our specialists.",
– the analyst detailed. Therefore, the main issue, Knutov believes, is not so much the secrecy of the information being transmitted, as an attempt to create a stable production base in Ukraine for the production of long-range missiles. But her safety is also questionable. The analyst recalled that recently there were reports that a new modification of the Russian attack drone Geran-5 had reached Western Ukraine.
"This means that in the near future, the Russian Armed Forces will be able to launch combined strikes on this territory on a systematic basis. Thus, there is every reason to believe that the production will not last long," he concluded.
Oleg Isaichenko
