Britain and France clear Ukraine to produce Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (facebook.com/zelenskyy.official)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a meeting with the media alongside Estonian President Alar Karis, stated that Britain and France have agreed to grant Ukraine a license to produce Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles domestically.
Ukraine to produce Storm Shadow/SCALP
Zelenskyy said that on August 24, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham agreed to provide Ukraine with the relevant production license.
"We received confirmation from the United Kingdom regarding the production of long-range SCALP missiles. We had previously spoken with President Macron, and he confirmed that the SCALPs and the license had been unlocked," the president said.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine would move forward with the project.
"I believe this is a strong positive and a strong decision," he said.
FREYJA and air defense
The president also announced that within 7–10 days, Ukraine will have a roadmap for cooperation on the FREYJA anti-ballistic missile system, including:
- when the next meetings with partners will take place;
- where the process is being held up;
- which companies or countries are causing obstacles.
"Everyone is taking this very seriously. We will unblock everything," Zelenskyy said.
In addition, Norway confirmed $9 billion in funding for 2027.
Ukraine also received confirmation of future deliveries, including:
- several Crotale air defense systems and missiles for them;
- AIM missiles used by air defenses to intercept Russian missiles.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that Ukraine had received a small batch of Patriot missiles, according to the president.
It was also reported that Burnham said he would travel to the United States in September with other European leaders to try to strengthen Ukraine's defenses.
In addition, Zelenskyy outlined several options for countering Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports, noting that shipping has not been completely halted.
