London gives Kyiv missile plans as Zelensky seeks 300 winter interceptors
Burnham said Ukraine would receive plans for British-made Scalp components; Zelensky said the 264 interceptors projected for 2026 would not cover winter and asked for at least 300.
Geopolitics··Evening
Ukraine will make British Scalp components at home
On his first visit to Ukraine as prime minister, Andy Burnham said Kyiv would receive plans for the British-made components of Scalp, the French version of the Storm Shadow cruise missile. Ukraine will use the plans to manufacture those parts at home. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticised the decision and said the Russian military was already gathering information to locate and strike the production sites. Peskov counted the planned facilities among Russia's military targets.[1]
The 264 interceptors projected for 2026 do not cover winter
European Council President Antonio Costa and Burnham travelled to Kyiv on Monday, while the French and German leaders joined the allied meeting remotely. Zelensky said Ukraine received 675 interceptors in 2023 and 364 in 2025, with 264 projected for 2026. He said that quantity would not last through winter and asked for a package of at least 300 missiles.[2]
The coalition calls air defence an urgent priority
In a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Burnham called stronger air defences for Kyiv an urgent priority. He urged allies to draw further on their interceptor stocks and called on the US Congress to increase economic pressure on Russia. The meeting followed Russian attacks over the weekend: a drone strike on an electric train in the Kharkiv region killed two women and wounded five, while three people were killed and eight wounded on the outskirts of Kharkiv city.[1], [2]
