British Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledges to share classified technical information to help Ukraine produce its own long-range missiles.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced on Monday that the U.K. will provide Ukraine with classified technical information for British-made components to assist in the production of its own long-range missiles. The defense firm MBDA will release details on U.K.-made parts for the SCALP missile, a high-precision weapon used by the British, French, and Italian air forces. While the move provides Ukraine with deep strike offensive capabilities, experts suggest the missiles will not be operational immediately. Arun Dawson of the Freeman Air and Space Institute at King's College London noted that the Ukraine-assembled missiles will likely not have a significant impact until next year at the earliest. Experts also highlighted that Ukraine's most pressing need remains protection from Russian ballistic missile attacks. Russia's Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the U.K. of 'fanning the flame' of the war, a claim Burnham dismissed by asking, 'Who started the fire?'