The Palace of Westminster was lit up in Ukraine's flag colours on Monday, 24 August, to celebrate Kyiv's Independence Day. The gesture honours Ukraine as the country commemorates 35 years since officially gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Lighting up the structure in blue and yellow also signifies the UK's continued support for Ukraine and its people. Prime Minister Andy Burnham also has a scheduled appearance in Kyiv during its Freedom Day activities.
Burnham's First Foreign Trip
Burnham's visit to Kyiv will be his first foreign trip since he assumed office on 20 July 2026. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also the first foreign leader Burnham hosted after taking up residence at No. 10, meeting him at HM Naval Base Portsmouth on 27 July.
Burnham is also set to co-chair his first meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, a 34-country alliance that commits to long-term security and military support for Ukraine against Russia. Ahead of his trip, Burnham said: 'On Ukraine's 35th anniversary of independence, the Ukrainian people should be in no doubt: the UK is behind you today and for as long as it takes. I am proud of the contribution our country has made to Ukraine and I want the Ukrainian people to hear it directly from me that our support will not waver. After all, Ukraine's security is our security.'
'The friendship between our two countries will long outlast Russia's illegal war. In both the fight and in the rebuilding to come, we will stand with Ukraine and deliver opportunities for people across both our countries. Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve. We will not back down until there is a just and lasting peace,' the PM added.
Tonight the Palace of Westminster is illuminated in the colours of the Ukrainian flag to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day and show Parliament’s support for the people of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/tOICdDOZUF
— UK Parliament (@UKParliament) August 23, 2026
'Unhappy' Russia
UK's continued support for Ukraine, including the supply of hundreds of thousands of military drones, has drawn sharp criticism from Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters last week: 'We have exactly the same right to regard the declared direct involvement of the UK through its missile forces in attacks on Russia as participation in the war, with all the consequences that follow.'
The diplomatic fallout deepened last month when Russian Ambassador to the UK Andrey Kelin left London after seven years in his post. The withdrawal of the ambassador was widely considered a consequence of the UK's continued support for Ukraine. According to the list of Russian 'senior diplomatic staff,' only Vasily A Tsyganov, chargé d'affaires, remains at the embassy.
Retired Royal Navy Captain John Foreman, an expert on Eastern European security, commented on social media: 'Although I'm glad to see the back of the loathsome Kelin... a gap between ambassadors is not unprecedented the embassy's strident 'consequences' statement this week and the huge deterioration of bilateral relations since 2018 and especially since the start of the war make me wonder if Moscow will permanently downgrade the relationship this time, by default by not replacing him.'
Although I’m glad to see the back of the loathsome Kelin, as I told Dominic although a gap between ambassadors is not unprecedented the embassy’s strident ‘consequences’ statement this week and the huge deterioration of bilateral relations since 2018 and especially since the… https://t.co/M6AR7GnQO2
— John Foreman CBE (@John_ForemanCBE) August 22, 2026
Embassy Denies Downgrade
The Russian Embassy in London said there are no plans to downgrade diplomatic relations. On its official X account, the embassy stated: 'On the conclusion of Ambassador Kelin's diplomatic mission, the Embassy notes that nothing in its comment provided to the newspaper implies that Russia intends to downgrade diplomatic relations between our two countries.'
📰 Following @thetimes' article on the conclusion of Ambassador Kelin's diplomatic mission, the Embassy notes that nothing in its comment provided to the newspaper implies that Russia intends to downgrade diplomatic relations between our two countries.https://t.co/ddib4uE1B4 pic.twitter.com/xBqJxb8LI2
— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) August 23, 2026
In a separate post, the embassy added: 'Russia-UK relations across all areas have deteriorated to an unprecedentedly low level entirely on London's initiative.'
