Ukraine expected to be a significant focus of UK PM’s New York programme
Andy Burnham and Donald Trump are expected to meet in person for the first time next week at the UN General Assembly in New York, one of the prime minister’s most significant foreign policy engagements since entering Downing Street, according to The Guardian. Last month the paper reported that British officials had stepped up preparations for a face-to-face meeting after Burnham said he hoped to attend the assembly of world leaders.
The trip next week will be Burnham’s first appearance as prime minister at the annual UN gathering, which is expected to draw approximately 200 heads of state and government. The UN is hosting high-level meetings on climate action, sea level rise, and pandemic preparedness alongside the leaders’ programme.
He has spoken to Trump by phone at least twice since becoming prime minister. In their most recent call last Monday they discussed efforts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine and the economy; earlier discussions covered Ukraine and the Middle East, the Guardian reported.
Ukraine is expected to be a significant focus of Burnham’s UN schedule. During a visit to Kyiv last month, Burnham said there was an urgent need for greater air defence support for Ukraine and called on allies to send more Patriot missiles as the country struggles under Russia’s continued bombardment. Burnham has said he intends to use the assembly to drum up more international support for Ukraine.
Downing Street confirmed that Burnham would attend the general assembly but has not confirmed any bilateral meetings. Officials cited the frenetic nature of the assembly and the difficulty of confirming meetings until they take place. Officials would not say whether Burnham would raise the UK’s recent ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements if the two leaders meet. The UK announced sanctions this month against individuals and companies linked to illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, part of a broader package that drew sharp pushback from Israel.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband will join Burnham at the assembly, with Gaza and the humanitarian crisis in Sudan expected to feature in their programme.
The expected meeting comes against a backdrop of recent differences of opinion between the two leaders. Trump last week expressed support for Irish unification and disregarded Burnham’s stated opposition to a referendum on the question. Downing Street responded by reiterating that the government did not believe the required support for unification to trigger a referendum was present, as set out in the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement.