Ukraine marked its 35th Independence Day on Monday with European leaders in Kyiv and a new British move to help the country build one of the long-range missiles it has used against Russia.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham joined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the capital as the U.K. said it would allow defense company MBDA to share classified information tied to British components in the Storm Shadow missile, known in France as SCALP.
The move could bring Ukraine closer to manufacturing the missile domestically. It also points to a larger shift in Western support, with Europe moving from sending weapons from its own stockpiles toward helping Kyiv build more of what it needs at home.
But Ukraine’s next problem is not only technology. It is money.
From weapons aid to weapons production
Ukraine depended heavily on Western weapons transfers after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. More than four years later, Kyiv has built a growing defense industry of its own, especially around drones and long-range strike systems.
Storm Shadow and SCALP gave Ukraine a Western-made option for reaching military targets deeper in Russia that many of its other weapons could not hit earlier in the war.
France has already given Ukraine permission to manufacture a package of French weapons, including SCALP missiles and Aster interceptors, which are used in Europe’s equivalent of the U.S. Patriot air defense system.
The British move would provide Ukraine with information on the U.K.-made components to move those production plans forward.
Europe rallies in Kyiv
Burnham joined nearly a dozen European leaders in Kyiv as the war remains largely stalled on the ground and U.S.-led peace efforts have yet to produce a breakthrough.
Zelenskyy told those gathered in St. Sophia Square that Ukraine’s fight depends on outside help.
“No nation in a war like this could rely solely on its own weapons,” Zelenskyy said. “No nation could withstand attacks of such intensity without the world’s help.”
Burnham was also expected to co-chair a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, a group of countries helping Ukraine resist Russia, with the leaders of France and Germany joining online.
Ukraine can build, but can it scale?
Ukraine is already producing more of its own advanced weapons.
Its long-range drones have repeatedly hit Russian oil facilities and other industrial targets. Ukraine has also developed two cruise missiles, the Neptune and Flamingo. The Flamingo can fly more than 1,800 miles and carry a warhead of more than 2,500 pounds, giving it more range and payload than SCALP.
But those systems are expensive. Ukraine still relies heavily on cheaper drones for long-range strikes because it lacks the money to produce larger missiles at scale.
On Saturday, Zelenskyy urged European governments to provide funding more quickly, warning that Ukraine is running short of the money needed to sustain its war effort.
Oleg Krot, founder of the Ukrainian company that makes the Sichen long-range drone, told The Wall Street Journal that Ukraine could produce more than it currently uses.
“It’s not only an industrial war, it is the war of the budgets,” Krot said.
The same problem has stalled other manufacturing plans. Ukraine discussed building hundreds of tanks domestically with Germany’s Rheinmetall, but the company’s CEO told the Journal that the necessary financing and orders never followed.
A two-way defense relationship
Europe is not only giving Ukraine technology, but it is also trying to learn from Ukraine’s battlefield experience.
In exchange for the missile technology, Britain would gain access to Ukraine’s Avengers AI laboratory. Downing Street said information and insights gathered from the battlefield will be used to train British artificial intelligence models.
That exchange shows how Ukraine’s defense relationship with Europe is becoming more integrated. Kyiv needs European technology and financing, while European allies are increasingly drawing on Ukrainian weapons designs and battlefield data.
Several projects are already moving in that direction. The U.K., Germany and Denmark are manufacturing Ukrainian-designed drones, while the U.K. is developing a ballistic missile for Kyiv. BAE Systems has also signed an agreement allowing Ukraine to manufacture one of its howitzers, and European partners are producing fuel for Ukrainian cruise missiles.
Long-range strikes become leverage
Ukraine’s ability to strike Russian energy infrastructure is also shaping negotiations over Black Sea shipping.
Zelenskyy said Russia rejected a proposed truce on attacks against ships carrying agricultural goods through the Black Sea. He said Moscow wanted Ukraine to stop striking Russian energy infrastructure in exchange for leaving Ukraine’s grain corridor alone.
The disruption is already weighing on Ukrainian exports. Ports in the Greater Odesa region handle about 90% of the country’s grain shipments, but Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi said only about 500,000 tons had been exported since the start of August — roughly one-fifth of Ukraine’s potential volume.
Zelenskyy said Kyiv is willing to discuss agriculture, energy or a broader ceasefire, but only on reciprocal terms.
Russia pushes back
The Kremlin criticized the missile-production plan.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow views it “extremely negatively” and accused Britain of taking part in the war on Ukraine’s side.
Russia and Ukraine have both expanded long-range attacks aimed at infrastructure and economic targets. Russia has continued striking Ukrainian ports, energy sites and civilian infrastructure, while Ukraine has targeted Russian oil facilities, warehouses and defense-industry sites.