Zelenskyy confirms France, UK cleared Ukraine to produce Storm Shadow/SCALP

On August 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that France and the United Kingdom had cleared Ukraine to produce the Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles. Zelenskyy made this announcement during a meeting with Estonian President Alar Karis in Kyiv. Both countries had provided Ukraine with the necessary licenses to produce these missiles, according to Zelenskyy.

France had already confirmed several days earlier that it would provide a license for SCALP production, while the UK gave a positive response on August 24. Zelenskyy expressed hope that these positive decisions would not be delayed by bureaucratic issues in their respective countries. He also mentioned that a schedule for advancing the Freyja anti-ballistic project would be ready within 7-10 days, detailing meeting timings, problem areas, and the specific challenges faced by different companies in each country.

On August 24, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, visiting Kyiv for the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's independence, had approved the request to supply Ukraine with technology for producing Storm Shadow cruise missiles. This move included transferring secret information on British components used in SCALP missiles to help Ukraine establish production of these components on its own territory.

Burnham stated that Britain would provide Ukraine with €3.5 billion in military aid annually for as long as necessary.