Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in Kyiv that Britain and France had approved the lifting of restrictions on SCALP missiles. He made the statement at a press conference with Estonian President Alar Karis.
Zelenskyy said Britain had approved moving forward with the production of SCALP missiles. He added that French President Emmanuel Macron had also confirmed that restrictions on the missiles and the licensing process had been lifted.
Describing the decision as "positive" and "strong," Zelenskyy did not provide a timetable for when production would begin in Ukraine.
Technical support from Britain for British components in Ukraine
Britain said it could share with Ukraine classified technical information concerning British components used in the SCALP missile produced by defense company MBDA. The sharing is expected to enable the establishment of local assembly lines on Ukrainian territory.
SCALP is the designation used by France. The jointly produced French-British missile, known in Britain as Storm Shadow, has a range of more than 250 kilometers.
Seven- to 10-day work schedule for FREYJA
Zelenskyy said they expected a work schedule to be prepared within seven to 10 days as part of the FREYJA project developed by Ukraine and European countries. The schedule is expected to identify meetings, bottlenecks and the companies or countries that will participate in resolving them.
The 10-country Integrated Ballistic Missile Defense Coalition, comprising Ukraine, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Denmark, launched the FREYJA project in July.
Under the plan, Ukraine is expected to develop the interceptor missile and launch system, while European partners will provide radar, sensors and other critical components. Kyiv aims to prepare a prototype of the system by mid-2027.
Norway's 2027 support to total $9 billion
Zelenskyy said Norway had confirmed $9 billion in financial support for Ukraine in 2027 and added that it could also contribute to financing an office to be allocated to the FREYJA project.
The Norwegian government also confirmed that support for 2027 under the Nansen program would remain close to this year's level, at approximately $9 billion.
Ukraine received several Crotale air defense systems, the missiles used with those systems, and AIM missiles used to intercept Russian missiles. Zelenskyy said additional Patriot missiles had reached Ukraine without disclosing the quantity or supplier.
Kyiv's defense budget faces a $27 billion shortfall
Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine's defense budget had a $27 billion shortfall. He said approximately $10 billion was needed to ensure that weapons would be ready at the beginning of 2027.
Kremlin criticizes support for missile production
The Kremlin criticized Western countries' support for Ukraine's missile production. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Britain's decision to share technical information on SCALP components amounted to "adding fuel to the fire."
Peskov also said Russia was trying to identify and destroy missile production facilities in Ukraine.
