UK wants nuclear-armed US fighter jets to counter Russian threat, Times reports
The U.K. is looking to revamp its defense capabilities and on the wish list of new weapons are U.S.-made fighter jets capable of launching tactical nuclear weapons to, in part, counter the threat from Russia, the Sunday Times reported on June 1.
The British military has a substantial nuclear arsenal, but after decommissioning a number of platforms at the end of the Cold War, can today only launch such weapons from its submarines.
According to the Sunday Times, the new air fleet will form a key part of the UK's strategic defense review, set to go public on June 2.
The military is looking at F-35A Lightning stealth fighter jets, made by Lockheed Martin, the report says.
The review is largely in response to the increasing risk of state-on-state warfare, specifically the threat of a Russian attack. In other line items from the pending review, the U.K. government is asking for £6 billion ($8 billion) for more ammunition, to be manufactured in six new factories, as well as a boost in the number of the navy's fleet of destroyers and frigates from 14 to 25.
The U.K. government will also consider a new missile defense shield capable of protecting against prospective ballistic attacks.
The broad plan is to boost British defense spending to 3% of GDP. But the projected timeframe for that boost is between now and 2034.
Post-Cold War plans for increasing defense spending in Europe have historically sunk amid murky deadlines and administration handoffs.
Read also: As 50,000 Russian troops amass, Ukraine's Sumy Oblast braces for potential large-scale offensive
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
21 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Oil Extends Gains on Weaker Dollar, Geopolitical Uncertainty
Oil rose for a second day as a weakening dollar boosted the appeal of commodities priced in the currency and geopolitical ructions limited the chance of more supply from Russia and Iran. West Texas Intermediate traded near $63 a barrel after jumping 2.9% on Monday, while Brent closed above $64. A gauge of the dollar was near its lowest since 2023, with Wall Street banks reinforcing their calls that the greenback will decline further.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Warning over TikTok food sellers not listing allergens
TikTok users are selling food without listing allergen information, the BBC has found. Listings on TikTok Shop show people selling snacks and sweets without highlighting they contain one of the 14 main allergens that UK businesses are legally required to declare. When the BBC brought these listings to TikTok's attention, it deleted them and said: "TikTok Shop is committed to providing a safe and trustworthy shopping experience." Simon Williams, chief executive of Anaphylaxis UK, warned allergy suffers: "If the ingredient and allergen information isn't there, don't buy it. You're putting your life in grave danger." "We have policies and processes in place with our sellers to ensure the safety of food and beverages sold on our platform and we will remove products that breach these policies," a TikTok spokesperson said. However, it is currently possible to sell food on TikTok Shop without providing any ingredient or allergy information. The BBC found one seller, Mega Buy UK, selling a sweet treat related to the popular Netflix show Squid Game and listed the ingredients and allergens as "not applicable". Another UK-based seller called The Nashville Burger listed a burger-making kit that contained milk - one of the 14 allergens food businesses in the UK are required to declare on labels. It also contained wheat - which should be listed as an allergen under cereals containing gluten. However, on TikTok Shop, the allergen information was given as "spices" and the ingredient description simply said "flour". The BBC also found a seller called UK Snack Supply advertising lollipops and crisps with no ingredient or allergen information. TikTok has deleted the adverts the BBC highlighted, but all three companies are still on TikTok Shop selling other products without providing full allergen information. The BBC has approached all of these sellers for comment but could not independently verify that the sellers were all listed in the UK. However, allergy charities say regardless of where the firms are based more should be done to keep consumers safe. TikTok is a place where food trends go viral - from the pickle challenge which involved eating a hot pickle wrapped in a fruit roll-up - to Dubai chocolate which sparked a shopping frenzy. And while users consume the videos TikTok has also become a platform to buy and sell a bite of the action. Kate Lancaster's two children both have milk allergies and she regularly posts advice on TikTok as The Dairy Free Mum. She thinks TikTok has a responsibility to ensure all products sold on its shopping platform meet safety and labelling standards. "It's completely unacceptable and really worrying. Failing to provide ingredient information is potentially very dangerous, and it feels like a complete disregard for the safety of those living with food allergies," she said. Tanya Ednan-Laperouse co-founded The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation in the name of her daughter who died after an allergic reaction to a Pret a Manger sandwich. She said: "'TikTok is responsible for ensuring that all their UK food sellers meet legislative requirements to sell food products on their app. "Any that don't should be immediately removed from the app and investigated, but ideally this should not happen if their checks and balances are rigorous and in place." After her daughter's death, new safety rules, known as "Natasha's Law", were introduced which require full ingredient and allergen labelling on all food made on premises and pre-packed for direct sale. Kate believes TikTok is allowing sellers to "swerve" basic food labelling requirements as the app allows people not to list any ingredients at all and thinks the platform should penalise those who don't provide the correct information. "Since Natasha's Law has come into effect I feel that, in general, allergy labelling has improved, but it's frightening that a huge platform like TikTok does not have adequate measures to ensure that labelling is in place," she said. "The thought of someone with a food allergy, or an allergy parent, buying items that they assume are safe, when in fact they may not be, is really scary." Mr Williams from Anaphylaxis UK says the ultimate responsibility lies with the seller but does think TikTok could do more. "At the moment it's being used as a platform to sell things that may not be safe. They [TikTok] do need to do more," he said, "There's a lot of people making a lot of money, great side hustle, but they're putting people at risk." Dr James Cooper, deputy director of food policy at the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which is responsible for food safety in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said: "Wherever people buy their food, it needs to be safe and what it says it is. "Food businesses in the UK must be registered with their local authority and follow food law. All food businesses have a legal responsibility to sell safe food and provide allergen information." The FSA website says that if food is sold online or over the phone through "distance selling" then allergen information must be provided at two different stages in the order process. This usually means providing allergy information in the online description and then also on the packaging so a buyer has two opportunities to check if their allergy could be triggered.
Forbes
40 minutes ago
- Forbes
Monday, June 2. Russia's War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine
TOPSHOT - Head of the Ukrainian delegation and Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov (L) speaks, ... More flanked by Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya (C), during a press conference after a second meeting of direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, at the Ciragan Palace, in Istanbul, on June 2, 2025. Ukrainian and Russian delegations have begun a second round of peace talks in Istanbul, where they are set to exchange plans for how they want to end the three-year war. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images) Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,195. Ukraine Carries Out Historic Drone Strike on Strategic Russian Airbases On June 1, Ukraine launched one of its most audacious and effective drone strikes since the start of Russia's invasion, targeting four air bases deep inside Russia with 117 first-person-view (FPV) drones. Codenamed operation 'Spider's Web,' and meticulously planned over 18 months, the attack struck remote airbases in Siberia and the Russian Far East, approximately 3,400 miles from Ukraine's eastern border and previously considered out of Ukraine's reach. Prior to this strike, airfields at these remote locations, where Russia nuclear capable, long-range bombers are based, were considered nearly impervious to attack. Ukrainian intelligence revealed that the drones were covertly smuggled into Russia, concealed within civilian trucks, and remotely activated. Russia's defense ministry said that multiple aircraft were set ablaze and characterized the assault as a 'terrorist attack' despite the strikes being directed at military targets during wartime. The head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, said a day after the strike that 41 enemy aircraft were destroyed. Other assessments, however, including one by BBC News Ukraine, tallied a more modest number, upward of 11 destroyed jets. Despite inconsistency in the number of enemy aircraft reported destroyed, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the operation as a turning point, calling it 'brilliant' and 'perfectly prepared' in a Telegram social media post soon after the attack. 'These are Ukrainian actions that will definitely be in history textbooks,' he continued. This operation, which cost Ukraine approximately several hundred thousand to several million dollars, at most, to execute, may have cost Russia as much as $7 billion in lost military assets, according to Ukrainian government estimates. The loss of even a single strategic aircraft, however, is invaluable to Russia, as the country has not produced such planes since the collapse of the Soviet Union and has lost some critical technologies needed to develop new ones. In addition to the blow to Russia's air power, the aftermath of the recent Ukrainian strike, hailed by some as Russia's 'Pearl Harbor,' may still be unfolding. Ukraine has, at least temporarily, neutralized the narrative of a stalemate in the war, exposed Moscow's vulnerabilities, and weakened the Russian delegation's position in the latest round of bilateral peace talks, held on June 2. Ukraine's most complex special operation on Russian territory to date, while hailed as a major success, also carried notable risks. According to an article by The Economist, a senior Ukrainian official, who spoke anonymously, acknowledged that the operation could potentially alienate some Western partners. Additionally, skepticism remains in Kyiv about the feasibility of repeating such an attack, as Russian forces are expected to analyze the remnants of the drones and develop more effective countermeasures, including electronic jamming, as noted by an anonymous Ukrainian military communications specialist in reporting by Forbes Ukraine. Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul, Turkey, for just over an hour on June 2, marking only the second round of direct talks since 2022. Moscow presented stringent demands, including Kyiv's surrender of Crimea and four southeastern regions, three of which are only partly under Russian control, restrictions on Ukraine's military, and recognition of Russian sovereignty, terms Ukraine rejected as unacceptable. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy previously reaffirmed that Ukrainian forces will not withdraw from any territories of Ukraine. The two sides agreed to prisoner exchanges and to each return the bodies of 6,000 deceased enemy soldiers, but no ceasefire or peace breakthrough emerged. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a summit involving Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy, and U.S. President Donald Trump, though U.S. mediation efforts show little progress. Russia's Attacks on Ukraine Between May 30 and June 2, Russian forces launched a series of deadly attacks across southern and northeastern Ukraine, killing at least seven civilians. In the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, artillery and drone strikes killed four civilians, including a child. Meanwhile, three residents were killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv oblast, or province. A Russian missile struck a Ukrainian military training facility on June 1, leaving at least 12 servicemembers dead and more than 60 injured despite an air raid alert that had sent most personnel into shelters during the attack. No mass gatherings were reported at the facility. Ukrainian authorities have launched an investigation to assess accountability and vowed consequences for any security lapses. Ukrainian Ground Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi resigned following the deadly strike, citing a sense of personal responsibility. On June 1, two railway bridges collapsed in Russia's southwestern Bryansk and Kursk regions. In Bryansk, a road overpass bridge collapsed, sending multiple vehicles plunging onto a passenger train bound for Moscow; seven people were killed and more than 70 others injured. Authorities determined an explosion caused the collapse and opened a criminal investigation. In Kursk, a freight train derailed after a bridge fell, injuring a crew member. The Kremlin blamed Ukraine in both cases. By Danylo Nosov, Karina L. Tahiliani
