The United States is de facto blocking Britain from allowing Ukraine to launch Storm Shadow missiles into Russian territory because the Biden administration fears an escalation of the Ukraine war, the Times reports, citing sources.
Despite Ukraine’s appeals, Western countries, including the US, have limited Ukraine’s use of their long-range weapons such as ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles to prevent deep strikes inside Russia, ostensibly to avoid escalation. Amid ongoing Russian offensives along the entire front line in Ukraine, the Ukrainian army began an incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast more than a week ago and now controls significant parts of two districts in the region.
According to the publication, the British government turned to the United States over a month ago with a request to relax restrictions on the use of long-range weapons by Ukraine, but they have not yet received a response, and this issue is effectively “stuck in their system”, a British government source told The Times.
Britain did not allow the use of Storm Shadow in the Ukrainian Kursk offensive
Another government source confirmed: “Discussions about Storm Shadow with allies were still ongoing,”, while a third defense source described it as “Routine procedures in the USA.”
British officials believe the United States is likely to wait and see the aftermath of the Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast before making a decision. Meanwhile, an unnamed representative of the Defense Committee of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada told The Times that Ukraine was forced to launch an operation on Russian territory due to Western restrictions.
Britain clarifies its position on Storm Shadow missiles and refuses approval for use in Russia
Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had repeatedly asked for permission to use American ATACMS missiles and British Storm Shadow missiles to attack targets deep inside Russia, but each time he was denied permission.
Related:
