After a dreadful summer due to the Russian missile rain and several scandals in his domestic policy, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has finally received good news. The new British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has confirmed in his first participation as organizer of the volunteer coalition that the United Kingdom will assist Kyiv in manufacturing long-range missiles amid the shortage of Patriot air defense systems, key to defending Ukrainian skies from Moscow’s assaults.
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In practice, this means that the European defense giant MBDA will be able to provide Kyiv with classified information about the British components of the long-range missile called SCALP. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, already announced in July that France would grant a license for Ukrainian production of radars, missiles, and other munitions, intending for Ukraine to arm itself with its own means to defend against the continuous Russian attacks that have marked the deadliest wave against civilians since the war began in spring 2022.
London’s green light pressures Trump, who still isn’t sure what to do with the Patriot licenses
This is the French-made version of the British Storm Shadow, with technology shared between France and the United Kingdom. “The United Kingdom was the first to provide long-range weapons to Ukraine back in 2023. Vladimir has now asked us to share our Storm Shadow technology so that Ukraine can develop these capabilities on its own. I am pleased to confirm today that I have approved that request,” Burnham confirmed, sitting next to the Ukrainian president and the President of the European Council, António Costa, at the InterContinental Hotel in Kyiv where they hosted this meeting.
London and Paris’s green light represents a new lever to pressure the United States, which still resists delivering the expected licenses to Ukraine to manufacture its own Patriot systems. Initially, it seemed that Zelensky had convinced the U.S. president, Donald Trump, during the summit in Ankara, but by the end of July, the magnate backtracked, arguing that he still isn’t sure what to do because there is a possibility that Kyiv might end up using them against the U.S. Kyiv needs these coveted air defense systems more than ever after their massive use during the conflict between the United States and Iran strained global reserves, leaving Ukraine without enough missiles to protect itself from Russian attacks.
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The Labour Prime Minister confirmed this Monday with his visit to Kyiv, his first trip abroad as prime minister, that he will follow Keir Starmer’s path of firm support for the Ukrainian cause, which he has even compared to the British fight against Nazism during World War II. Burnham participated alongside Costa and other European leaders in the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union, an anniversary that comes when the spirits of the capital’s citizens are low after a summer having to sleep in shelters due to the constant roar of alarms.
For his part, the President of the European Council has taken note of Ukraine’s request to advance part of the European loan of 90 billion, initially planned for next year, so that Ukraine can invest in air defense. According to Zelensky’s calculations, they need at least 300 missiles to get through the coming difficult winter.
“Today, the European Commission announced that it approves the disbursement of a new tranche of the support loan. It is, therefore, an ongoing process. Of course, we can debate and analyze with the member states and the Commission what measures we can take, but above all, we must fulfill what we have already committed to,” responded the Portuguese, referring to the announcement of the unlocking of a new tranche of 6.1 billion euros to Ukraine to strengthen its air defense and its missile and ammunition capabilities. The socialist also reiterated his firm support for Ukraine’s future accession to the EU as the best security guarantee.
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