UK missile help for Ukraine 'adds fuel to fire': Kremlin
MOSCOW — The Kremlin said on Monday that the United Kingdom's decision to hand Ukraine information on British-made components used to make SCALP long-range missiles would "add fuel to the fire" and was regarded by Moscow extremely negatively.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham arrived in Kyiv on Monday on his first overseas trip since taking office and was due to announce British support to help Kyiv improve its domestic production of long-range missiles.
Asked about the visit and the support, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the UK of doing everything it could to prevent any progress toward an eventual peace deal.
"Britain methodically and regularly adds fuel to the fire and methodically and regularly hatches schemes to prevent even the slightest progress in the peaceful settlement process," Peskov told reporters.
"Our armed forces are carrying out work accordingly, gathering the relevant intelligence to identify the production sites of such missiles and other military equipment, and taking measures to destroy these facilities," he said.
The SCALP missile is a long-range cruise missile capable of hitting targets around 250 kilometers away.
The UK and France have supplied the weapon to Ukraine since its conflict with Russia broke out in 2022, but Kyiv has not yet produced them domestically.
Burnham visited Kyiv on Monday for Ukraine's Independence Day commemorations and vowed to maintain Britain's military backing for the government.
"Despite Russia's outrageous threats to my country, we will continue our support for Ukraine's defense," Burnham said in a speech in Kyiv.
Ukraine was scheduled to host a meeting of its key European backers on Monday to press for critical air defense supplies.
The so-called Coalition of the Willing meeting will be jointly chaired by Burnham and the leaders of France and Germany, who will participate remotely.
The leaders of Luxembourg, Moldova, Estonia and European Council President Antonio Costa are also in Kyiv for the talks hosted on Ukraine's Independence Day.
The European Commission said on Monday that it had released another 6.1 billion euros ($7.1 billion) in new defense procurement for Ukraine, covering air defense systems, missiles, ammunition and radars.
The commission said the latest approval added to 16 billion euros in previously approved procurement plans, of which 8.35 billion euros have been disbursed.
Most of the equipment will be sourced from European Union defense companies, the commission said.
It said Russia's increased use of ballistic missiles and jet-engined drones had heightened the need to accelerate deliveries to Ukraine by reprioritizing orders and ramping up production.
The funding comes from the EU's 90 billion euro Ukraine Support Loan for 2026 and 2027. The European Parliament and the Council of the EU adopted legislation establishing the loan in February.
Under the disbursement procedure, Ukraine can request payments after signing procurement contracts with defense companies. The European Commission will review the contracts before releasing funds to ensure the purchases align with procurement plans agreed upon by EU member states.
On the battlefield, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday that air defense systems have intercepted and destroyed 351 fixed-wing Ukrainian drones over its territory overnight.
Russian forces continued overnight strikes with precision air-launched weapons and attack drones against Ukrainian ports and vessels allegedly involved in transporting cargo for the military, the ministry said.
AGENCIES-XINHUA
