Ukraine war latest: Zelensky confirms UK, France approve producing SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles in Ukraine
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Key developments on Aug. 25:
- UK, France approve Storm Shadow/SCALP missile production in Ukraine, Zelensky says
- US asked Ukraine to refrain from striking Moscow during CIA chief's visit, source says
- Kellogg backs mobilizing Ukrainian women, parliament says it is not under consideration
- Kremlin dismisses Donbas free economic zone proposal
- Russian drone strikes border crossing between Ukraine, Moldova
- Ukrainian strike damages MiG-29 fighter jet at Russian air base
- 'Fabricated stories' — Kremlin accuses Ukraine of spreading false mobilization claims
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 announcementcame 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 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.
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.
US asked Ukraine to refrain from striking Moscow during CIA chief's visit, source says
The U.S. asked Ukraine not to strike Moscow and St. Petersburg while CIA Director John Ratcliffe is visiting Russia, a person familiar with the situation told the Kyiv Independent on Aug. 25.
"They don't believe in the strength of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's air defenses," they said, adding that Kyiv agreed to pause strikes against the cities between Aug. 24 and 26.
A U.S. official confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that Ratcliffe is scheduled to meet senior Russian officials, but it remains unclear what is on the agenda. The Kremlin has not officially commented on the visit.
This marks Ratcliffe's first known official trip to Russia. The CIA director has nevertheless maintained contact with his Russian counterpart, SVR chief Sergei Naryshkin, who has previously signaled readiness to meet the U.S. spy chief.
The Ukrainian side was told that a U.S. delegation would travel to Russia, but was not initially informed that Ratcliffe would be a part of it, a source told the Kyiv Independent.
Ukrainian officials are expected to receive a debrief after the trip, though it is unclear whether the CIA director will travel to Kyiv in person, they said.
Kellogg backs mobilizing Ukrainian women, parliament says it is not under consideration
Former U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg said he supports mobilizing Ukrainian women into the military, while Parliament's National Security Committee stressed on Aug. 25 that no such measure is being prepared or considered.
"So do I believe women should be mobilized into the army? My answer is yes, because they fight no worse than men," Kellogg said in an interviewwith the Naspravdi MAX YouTube channel published on Aug. 24.
Kellogg added that it is "very important for women, as part of society, to serve," saying he saw no problem with the idea "personally or professionally."
Hours after Kellogg's remarks drew attention in Ukraine, the committee issued an official statement saying that the mobilization of women "is not being carried out, prepared, or considered."
The committee said there were no legislative initiatives, draft laws, or internal discussions on mobilizing women and stressed that women currently join Ukraine's Defense Forces exclusively on a voluntary basis.
"Statements by individual speakers who publicly speculate on this topic do not reflect actual legislative work or the position of the committee," the statement read.
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Kremlin dismisses Donbas free economic zone proposal
The Kremlin on Aug. 25 shot down a U.S.-backed proposal to establish a free economic zone in Ukraine's Donbas as part of a potential peace deal, alleging the region belongs to Russia.
"It is unlikely that any third party could administer Russia's regions," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
Russia views the partially occupied Donbas — an eastern Ukrainian region comprised of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts — as its territory and has incorporated this claim into its constitution.
Moscow's demand that Kyiv cede the areas still under Ukrainian control has become a key sticking point in peace talks, as Ukraine continues to call for a ceasefire along the current front lines.
Peskov's comments come after President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a one-page peace plan drafted by Ukraine, the U.S., and European partners included Washington's proposal for a buffer zone in Donbas.
"In other words, we and the Russians both take equal steps back, creating a buffer called a free economic zone under some kind of administration," Zelensky told journalists during a press briefing over the weekend.
"It is still unclear whose administration, but it would be some kind of third party."
The peace proposal also included a ceasefire and outlined the roles NATO and the EU would play in the effort, Zelensky said, without providing further details.
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Russian drone strikes border crossing between Ukraine, Moldova
A Russian Shahed-type drone strike overnight on Aug. 25 damaged the Vynohradivka border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in Odesa Oblast, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
In a post on X, Sybiha called on the international community to "condemn Russia’s systematic targeting of civilian transport corridors and critical border infrastructure."
The State Border Guard Service reported that the passage of citizens and vehicles through the checkpoint was suspended. Transport was being redirected to other checkpoints.
This is the third attack on a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in the last two weeks. Sybiha called this "a clear pattern," accusing Russia of "deliberately trying to disrupt connectivity" between Ukraine and its neighbor.
Ukrainian strike damages MiG-29 fighter jet at Russian air base
Ukrainian strikes on Millerovo airbase in Russia's Rostov Oblast damaged a Mig-29 fighter jet on Aug. 24, Ukraine's General Staff confirmed on Aug. 25.
The Mig-29 is a fourth generation fighter jet designed in the Soviet Union, meant to establish air superiority and provide frontline air defense. Both Ukrainian and Russian forces use the fighter jet in their air forces.
Ukrainian forces also struck a specialized Peresvet-M electronic warfare system in Luhansk Oblast, a radio-electronic station meant to surpress Starlink communication in Mirne in occupied Crimea, and a Russian military warehouse in Primorsk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the statement read.
'Fabricated stories' — Kremlin accuses Ukraine of spreading false mobilization claims
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused Ukrainian authorities of trying to "ideologically destabilize the situation" in Russia by spreading reports about a possible new Russian mobilization, in an interview with Russian media outlet RTVI on Aug. 25.
Peskov was responding to questions about the Kremlin's view on another Russian mobilization announcement and whether such a scenario is being considered.
"All of this is being planted by the Ukrainian authorities," Peskov said, adding that "these are all fabricated stories that are deliberately being planted in the information space."
Speculation about another Russian mobilization has intensified in recent months as Russia’s battlefield gains slow and its voluntary recruitment system struggles to compensate for mounting losses.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 23 that Russia plans to mobilize around 300,000 people after State Duma elections in September, largely avoiding major cities to limit public backlash. He described the plan as "peripheral mobilization."
Russia has repeatedly denied plans for mobilization, both now and in 2022. On Sept. 13, 2022, Peskov said that neither full nor partial mobilization was "on the agenda." Eight days later, Putin announced a partial mobilization, calling up around 300,000 reservists.
