London officially approves transfer of technology
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who is visiting Kyiv, officially confirmed that he has approved Ukraine's request for the transfer of technology for producing long-range Storm Shadow missiles. According to him, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to London to share the relevant technology so that Ukraine would be able to manufacture such weapons independently. “I am pleased to confirm today that I have approved this request,” the British prime minister stated, adding that as early as 2023 Britain was the first to transfer long-range weapons to Ukraine.
British and French industries to join the cooperation
Burnham emphasized that the development of this capability would be carried out jointly with the participation of the defense industries of both countries. “The British and French industries — and we also thank President Macron and his colleagues — will now work with Ukraine to develop this capability,” the prime minister noted. He also criticized Moscow's course, stating that, in his assessment, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is counting on winning “through a campaign of terror, using ballistic missiles against Ukrainian civilians,” and called for stopping Russia “first and foremost” through sanctions that cut off supply chains and through support for Ukraine's long-range campaign.
Context: declassification of MBDA data and the link to the SCALP missile
The decision to transfer the technology fits into a broader process: the British government had earlier authorized the defense company MBDA to declassify information on the British components of the long-range SCALP missile — the French variant of the British Storm Shadow. Both missiles use shared French and British technology, which makes their joint study and localization a technically justified step. It is separately noted that London will also support the Ukrainian Freyja system, which expands the scope of cooperation beyond a single weapons model.
Moscow's reaction
In Moscow, Britain's assistance to Ukraine has already caused irritation. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov had earlier threatened strikes on Ukrainian enterprises that produce long-range weapons. Thus, the formalization of the technology transfer and the launch of joint work with the defense industries of both countries could become a new trigger for escalation in Moscow's rhetoric and statements.
Contradictory data
The wording in different publications contains a nuance regarding the nature of the cooperation. The prime minister's baseline statement emphasizes that Ukraine will gain the ability to independently create long-range capabilities based on the transferred technology. At the same time, a number of publications (including Unian and Anadolu) characterize the event in their headlines as the beginning of “joint production” of Storm Shadow missiles with Ukraine. Both versions refer to the same words by Burnham, however the first underscores localization and independent production in Ukraine, while the second highlights the joint nature of the work by the British, French, and Ukrainian sides. The difference is more editorial and phrasing-related, but it is important for an accurate understanding of the outcomes of the agreement.
