Andy Burnham is expected to meet Donald Trump for the first time in person at the UN general assembly next week in New York. Last month the Guardian reported British officials had stepped up their preparations for a face-to-face meeting between Burnham and Trump after the prime minister said he hoped to attend the assembly of world leaders. The trip to New York next week will be Burnham’s first appearance as prime minister at the UN general assembly and one of his most significant foreign policy engagements since entering Downing Street.
Burnham has spoken to the US president at least twice on the phone since becoming prime minister, and they have discussed issues relating to Ukraine and the Middle East. In their most recent call last Monday, they discussed efforts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine and the economy. Ukraine is likely to be a significant focus during Burnham’s trip.
During a visit to Kyiv last month, the prime minister said there was an urgent need for greater air defence support for Ukraine and called for allies to send more Patriot missiles as Ukraine struggles under Russia’s continued bombardment. Burnham also said he would use his attendance at the general assembly to drum up more international support for Ukraine. Downing Street confirmed Burnham would attend the general assembly but has not confirmed any bilateral meetings.
Officials said meetings can be difficult to confirm until they take place because of the frenetic nature of the assembly. 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.
The foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, will join Burnham at the assembly, where they are expected to include Gaza and the humanitarian crisis in Sudan as part of their programme. Alongside the assembly of about 200 world leaders, the UN is hosting high-level meetings on climate action, sea level rise and pandemic preparedness. There have been recent differences of opinion between Burnham and Trump.
The US president last week expressed support for Irish unification and disregarded Burnham’s opposition to a referendum. It prompted Downing Street to reiterate that it believed the required support for unification to trigger a referendum was not there, as set out in the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement.
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