The United Kingdom takes over the leadership from the US on the Ukrainian issue.

 On the occasion of the thirty-fifth anniversary of Ukraine's independence, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham made a politically significant promise: the United Kingdom will provide Kiev with the blueprints for the production of long-range missiles. This, with the declassification of information regarding the components of the Storm Shadow missiles, will allow production lines to be established on Ukrainian soil. This autonomy will allow Ukrainian forces to overcome the obstacles posed by the supply of pre-assembled materials with limited use. The range of these missiles is approximately 250 km and, in theory, allows them to strike targets deep inside Russian territory. This new element should force Russian logistics bases located immediately behind the battle lines to retreat, thus slowing the already difficult supply routes. Furthermore, with appropriate adjustments to the missiles, even more strategic bases inland from Moscow could be hit. However, these benefits, from a practical military perspective, will not be immediate due to the need to prepare the production lines, which certainly require a timeframe that is far from rapid, but could be measured in months or perhaps years. The importance, as already emphasized, is currently exclusively political, because handing over the missile construction plans to Kiev signifies London's raising the bar on the Kremlin, even though the consequences for the reconfiguration of Russia's defense posture are still far off. But the political implications concern not only relations between the United Kingdom and Russia, but also between London and Brussels, with the British Prime Minister appearing very determined to strengthen relations with the European Union. Furthermore, Ukraine has explicitly stated that Ukraine represents the front line in Europe's defense against Russian neo-imperialism. In foreign policy, it seems London is eager to take over the leadership role of European defense abandoned by Washington. Not that the United Kingdom is alone; the coalition of the willing, also including France and Germany, has reaffirmed its willingness to deploy troops as peacekeepers in Ukraine once the conflict is over. The great uncertainty surrounding the American stance on the Ukrainian-Russian conflict has led to a more determined European stance in supporting Kiev, which appears almost like a preparatory exercise, obligatory for the US's gradual disengagement from the old continent. This has materialized in a constant financial commitment, but not only that: the fight against Russian oil trafficking has also suffered serious losses, depriving Russia of approximately $495 billion in revenue, which would have been used to finance the conflict. In terms of active investments, the Nordic and Baltic countries have finalized a joint air defense plan, also to protect Ukraine. The European Commission has released an additional €6.1 billion for Kiev's purchase of the Franco-Italian SAMP/T missile systems, which will be used to increase its air defense capabilities. With this allocation, the European Union has invested more than €22 billion in military aid to Ukraine. This investment should be added to the €9.2 billion Norway has allocated in 2026 and will renew in 2027, establishing its support for Kiev as a state program. Although there are still nations that appear timid in their support for Ukraine, the process appears to be well underway and, with sustained and targeted investments, could become a program of emancipation from the United States, which has become less attentive to Europe.