Zelensky says Britain, France unlocked missile production for Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that Ukraine has received confirmation from Britain that it can move ahead with production of long-range SCALP missiles.

Speaking at a news conference in Kyiv alongside Estonian President Alar Karis, Zelensky said France also confirmed the lifting of restrictions and licensing for the weapons.

"We received confirmation from the UK regarding the production of long-range SCALP missiles. Before that, we spoke with (French) President (Emmanuel) Macron, and he confirmed the unlocking of the SCALPs and the license. We will act," he said.

The UK said Monday that the MBDA defense company could share classified information on British components of the SCALP missile with Ukraine, allowing Kyiv to establish local assembly lines.

SCALP is the French designation for the missile known in Britain as Storm Shadow, a French-British long-range cruise missile with a range of more than 250 kilometers (155 miles).

Zelensky described it as "positive" and "strong," without giving a timetable for domestic production.

He also said Ukraine expected to have a schedule within seven to 10 days for the FREYJA project -- a European-Ukrainian program to develop an integrated anti-ballistic missile defense system.

The schedule is expected to identify upcoming meetings, bottlenecks and companies or countries involved in resolving them, he said.

FREYJA was launched in July by a 10-country Integrated Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition comprising Ukraine, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Denmark.

Ukraine is expected to develop the interceptor missile and launcher, while European partners are contributing radars, sensors and other critical components. Kyiv has said it aims to have a prototype system by mid-2027.

Zelensky said Norway had confirmed $9 billion in financial support for Ukraine for 2027 and could also help finance an office dedicated to the FREYJA project.

Norway's government has separately confirmed that its 2027 support under the Nansen program will remain at roughly the same level as this year -- about $9 billion.

Ukraine has also received confirmation of several Crotale air defense systems and missiles for them, as well as AIM missiles used to intercept Russian missiles, said Zelensky.

He added that Ukraine had received additional Patriot missiles, without specifying the quantities or suppliers.

Zelensky also said Ukraine faces a $27 billion defense-budget shortfall and needs about $10 billion to ensure weapons are available at the start of 2027.

The Kremlin has criticized Western assistance for Ukraine's missile production. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Britain's decision to provide technical information on SCALP components amounted to adding "fuel to the fire," while saying Russia was seeking to identify and destroy Ukrainian missile-production facilities.