WarAugust 25, 2026 5:54 pm • 2 min readUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a Coalition of the Willing meeting during an event on the occasion of Ukrainian Independence Day on Aug. 24, 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Diego Fedele/Getty Images)Ukraine has received approval from the U.K. and France to produce long-range Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a press conference with Estonian President Alar Karis in Kyiv on Aug. 25.Zelensky said French President Emmanuel Macron had confirmed that restrictions on the SCALP missiles and related licenses would be lifted."We will act. I believe this is a strong positive and a strong decision," Zelensky added in a post on Telegram.The announcement came as Zelensky and Karis met in Kyiv. The Estonian president arrived in Ukraine to mark Independence Day on Aug. 24 and discuss military support, air defense, and broader cooperation.The decision helps Ukraine move closer to producing the missiles at home. The U.K. has agreed to let European defense company MBDA share classified technical information on British-made parts of SCALP missiles with Ukraine, the U.K. government said on Aug. 24.The Kremlin criticized the move. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called it "fuel on the fire," and said Russia was already gathering information on possible missile production sites in Ukraine.The SCALP is a long-range cruise missile built jointly by France and the U.K., which calls it the Storm Shadow. It has a range of up to 250 kilometers (155 miles) and is designed for precision strikes on fixed targets, including at night and in bad weather.Zelensky also said Ukraine expects to receive a timeline within seven to 10 days for further work on Freyja, a joint anti-ballistic missile system project by European and Ukrainian defense companies.Norway has also confirmed $9 billion in financial support outside the EU framework for Ukraine in 2027, Zelensky said, adding that Oslo wants to help finance the Freyja project.Ukraine also received confirmation that it will receive several Crotale air defense systems and their VT-1 missiles, as well as AIM missiles and additional missiles for Patriot systems, Zelensky said. The president did not specify which country will provide this assistance.Karis said Estonia was doing everything it could to help Ukraine receive more air defense systems."We cannot produce them ourselves yet, but we are using every diplomatic opportunity so that Russian missiles no longer hit civilians and infrastructure," Karis said.