Britain’s long-range Storm Shadow missiles are feared to have been rendered useless in Ukraine after President Donald Trump blocked US intelligence from being shared with allies.
In a huge blow to Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia’s invasion, Trump froze American military aid to Kyiv before suspending intelligence sharing with President Volodymr Zelensky’s war-torn country.
The UK, which has vowed to stand by Ukraine throughout the three-year war, is among the countries who have been banned from sharing Washington intelligence with Kyiv.
It comes amid an ongoing transatlantic rift after Trump and Zelensky dramatically clashed in a heated Oval Office row last week, sparking a wave of support for Ukraine from European allies including Britain.
MailOnline revealed on Tuesday that UK intelligence agencies and military outlets have received an order expressly forbidding the sharing of US-generated intelligence, previously known as ‘Rel UKR’ – short for Releasable to Ukraine’.
The impact is likely to have major ramifications as British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles, a critical asset used inside Russia’s Kursk region by Ukraine, require US data to hit their targets. MailOnline has contacted the MoD for comment.
Storm Shadow missiles, jointly developed by the UK and France who call it Scalp, are precision-guided munitions used for deep-strike missions as they can hit targets up to 250km (155miles) away.
The effective missiles, believed to cost roughly £2million each, allow Ukraine to penetrate hardened bunkers and ammunition stores and down critical infrastructure, command centres and logistics hubs at huge ranges.
Britain’s long-range Storm Shadow missiles are feared to have been rendered useless in Ukraine after President Donald Trump blocked US intelligence from being shared with allies
This is the moment a British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles struck the Kursk region inside Russia in November
One image shows a written indentation on a chunk of metal reading: ‘Storm Shadow’
On November 21, Storm Shadows were used to target a bunker in Maryino, Kursk region, killing dozens of Russian soldiers and several North Korean troops.
They were also fired at Russia’s Black Sea naval headquarters at Sevastopol in September 2023, making the whole of Crimea unsafe for the Russian navy.
According to reports, the UK originally had around 900 Storm Shadow missiles for its military – although many are used or nearing the end of their lifespan.
In November, United24 Media reported that the UK has around 600 operational missiles, with ‘hundreds’ sent to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Each missile is said to cost roughly £2million so they are usually launched in carefully planned attacks in a flurry of cheaper drones which are sent ahead to confuse the enemy’s air defences – as Russia does with Ukraine.
Ukraine relies on US satellite intelligence and other state-of-the-art equipment to assist them with precision.
Ben Barry, senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), told The Times that if the suspension covered all intelligence, there would be a reduced early warning of incoming missile and drone attacks from Putin’s army.
It would also have an impact on being able to monitor the movement of large groups of Russian forces.
Earlier this week, Sir Keir Starmer announced a £1.6billion missile deal for Ukraine after a summit of European leaders in London.
The Ministry of Defence said that the manufacture of more than 5,000 lightweight-multirole missiles (LMM) will treble production at the Thales factory in Belfast, creating 200 jobs in Northern Ireland and directly supporting a further 700 jobs in the UK.
The role of LMMs is to protect against Russian drone and missile attacks. Ukrainian forces are already using LMMs with an initial order delivered late last year.
It comes as defence Secretary John Healey is set to hold crunch talks with his US counterpart, Pete Hesgeth, in a bid to overturn the suspension of military aid to Ukraine.
The United States has banned Britain from sharing intelligence from Washington with Ukraine as part of its withdrawal of support for Volodymyr Zelensky
President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting in the Oval Office became a shouting match
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a summit on Ukraine, at Lancaster House in London on Sunday
Despite having a range of 186 miles, current rules mean the weapons can be deployed only on targets inside Ukraine
Since the conflict began three years ago, the UK and other Western security partners such as Australia and New Zealand have shared US-generated knowledge with Ukraine.
But the Mail revealed on Tuesday that the top-level security classification has now been removed by the United States pending further notification and is likely to impact upon Kyiv’s ability to defend itself against Russia‘s continuing onslaught.
The ban affects the likes of the UK’s GCHQ, the spy agencies and intelligence branches of the Ministry of Defence.
UK military intelligence expert Phil Ingram told the Mail: ‘The United States’s instruction to stop allies sharing US-derived intelligence with Ukraine is what I would expect.
‘The US’s intelligence partners, including Britain, have had their authority to pass on intelligence revoked.
‘The US will tightly control distribution of its intelligence to Ukraine through agencies based in Kyiv.’
The move coincided with the US confirming it was pausing military aid to Kyiv as the rift between the two supposed allies deepened before Zelensky offered US Trump an olive branch.
He insisted he is ready to work under Trump’s ‘strong leadership’ and said he wanted to ‘make things right’ after their ‘regrettable’ White House clash.
Critics suggested any long-term freeze would lengthen rather than shorten the war.
That is because it is expected to encourage the Kremlin to exploit Kyiv’s dwindling weapons and ammunition stocks and launch a fresh bid for more territory.
Russia currently occupies around one fifth of Ukraine, including eastern provinces and the Crimean peninsula.
Ukraine is clinging on to a relatively small amount of territory it seized last year in the southern Russia province of Kursk.
It comes as Mr Healey is set to join Mr Hegseth today for a bilateral meeting on a possible peace plan while efforts continue to bridge a transatlantic rift over the country’s future security.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would confer with allies about the prospect of using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect the continent in the face of threats from Russia at a summit of EU leaders.
Mr Healey’s trip was agreed last week after Sir Keir Starmer announced a rise in the UK’s defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP.
CIA director John Radcliffe told Fox Business Network on Wednesday there has been a ‘pause’ on ‘the intelligence front’ followingTrump’s fractious Oval Office confrontation with Zelensky.
As he arrived in the Capitol later in the day, Mr Healey was asked what he would say to his counterpart about the issue when they meet for talks.
‘Those are discussions for tomorrow, but it’s part of a two-day programme and we’re working hard for peace,’ he said.
US national security adviser Mike Waltz said on Wednesday that Ukraine and America were still talking despite the pause.
‘I just got off the phone with my counterpart, the Ukrainian national security adviser,’ he said.
‘We are having good talks on location for the next round of negotiations, on delegations, on substance.’
He added: ‘I think we’re going to see movement in very short order.’
The French government said on Wednesday that Mr Macron, Sir Keir and Mr Zelensky could potentially meet the US president as leaders seek to bridge the transatlantic rift, but suggested that was a ‘wish’ at the moment and there had not been an invitation from the White House.
Downing Street said details of any future travel by the Prime Minister would be set out in the usual way.
In a televised address later on Wednesday, the French president described Moscow as a ‘threat to France and Europe’ and said he would ‘open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent by our (nuclear) deterrent’.
France is the only nuclear power in the European Union.
EU leaders are set to address the issue of deterrence, among other topics, during the Thursday summit in the Belgian capital focusing on support for Ukraine and wider defence.
Mr Zelensky is also invited to the meeting.
European Nato allies have for decades counted on the powerful US deterrent.
‘Europe’s future does not have to be decided in Washington or Moscow,’ Mr Macron said, warning that ‘the innocence of the last 30 years’ which followed the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall is ‘now over’.
Mr Macron said Russia is now spending 40% of its state budget in military spending, with plans to expand its army by 2030 with 300,000 additional soldiers, 3,000 tanks and 300 jet fighters.
‘Who can believe that today’s Russia will stop at Ukraine?’ he asked.
‘I want to believe the US will stay by our side but we have to be ready if that isn’t the case.’
Mr Zelensky thanked the French president following his speech, saying ‘peace must be real, not just a word-it cannot mean Ukraine’s capitulation or collapse.’
‘It must be just, reliable, and lasting, and this can only be achieved through strong and long-term security guarantees – for Ukraine, Europe, and the entire world,’ the leader said.
US-Ukraine relations reached a nadir last week when plans to sign a minerals agreement broke down following a dramatic row between Mr Trump, vice president JD Vance and Mr Zelensky.
But the US president used a wide-ranging speech in Congress to signal an easing of tensions, saying he had received a letter from the Ukrainian leader on Tuesday suggesting Kyiv is ready to sign a deal ‘at any time’.
‘I appreciate that he sent this letter,’ Mr Trump said. ‘We’ve had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace. Wouldn’t that be beautiful?’
Before his trip, Mr Healey hailed the ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the US and said it is ‘crucial that the UK and Europe step up further to take more responsibility for our security, and we are doing so’.
He added: ‘The Prime Minister was clear following his meetings over the past week that we will continue our dialogue with friends and allies to secure a path to a lasting peace in Ukraine.
‘We will advance that work in Washington over the coming days.’
