Great Britain and France support the lifting of restrictions on Ukraine's use of their long-range weapons. Perhaps the USA will also join and make a relevant decision, which is very important for Ukraine.
Points of attention
- Great Britain and France support lifting restrictions on Ukraine's use of British and French missiles, potentially leading to a policy change by the USA.
- US President Joe Biden could allow Ukraine to use foreign long-range weapons but may block the use of American ATACMS missiles to avoid further conflict escalation.
- Iran's delivery of Fath-360 missiles to Russia has influenced Western officials, pushing for a policy change to support Ukraine's defense capability.
- The US and European leaders are expected to discuss the issue to gauge opinions on altering the policy towards Ukraine's use of long-range weapons.
- US Secretary of State announces Biden's intention to discuss permission for Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range weapons, amidst rising tensions and concerns over Russian aggression.
How will the US allow Ukraine to strike military targets in the Russia
US President Joe Biden may allow Ukraine to use British and French Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles for strikes on Russian territory, but not American long-range weapons, in particular, ATACMS missiles.
This is reported by The Times with reference to sources familiar with the situation.
The US will not allow Ukraine to launch its longest-range version of the ATACMS — a ballistic missile — at targets across the border, hoping to prevent further escalation of the conflict.
As the publication writes, it is expected that Biden will discuss the issue of using Western weapons with other European leaders to probe their opinion on any changes in policy.
Both Great Britain and France support the lifting of restrictions on Ukraine's use of its long-range weapons, but so far the Americans have blocked this change for fear of escalation. Iran's delivery of more than 200 Fath-360 missiles to Russia is believed to have played a role in convincing some senior officials in the West that the policy needed an urgent change.
At the same time, as a senior researcher on ground military operations at the International Institute for Strategic Studies noted, he would not be surprised if Biden takes the position of an "intermediate option" and "France and Great Britain will take risks for the sake of Ukraine.
The USA can still give the long-awaited permission to Ukraine
On September 13, US President Joe Biden intends to discuss with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer the permission for Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range weapons, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said.
The head of American diplomacy made such a statement after announcing at a press conference in London that Iran had provided Moscow with short-range missiles.
In addition, Anthony Blinken publicly warned that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin "may well use them within weeks in Ukraine."
The head of the State Department emphasized that official Washington made sure that Ukraine had "everything necessary and in time to be effective in repelling Russian aggression" from the moment of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
