Le Figaro: France and Britain allowed Ukraine to hit the territory of the Russian Federation with SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles

France and Britain allowed Ukraine to hit the territory of the Russian Federation with SCALP/Storm Shadow long-range missiles.

This is reported by Le Figaro.

Today, the NYT wrote that the US President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles on the territory of the Russian Federation.

In September, The Guardian wrote that Great Britain had already decided to allow Ukraine to fire long-range Storm Shadow missiles at targets in Russia.

But the Telegraph wrote that the United States stands in the way of this permission, because the missiles contain American-made spare parts.

Britain officially declared about the transfer of Storm Shadow missiles in May 2023, but allowed to hit targets only in Crimea and other occupied territories of Ukraine. At the beginning of May 2024, the ex-minister of foreign affairs of Great Britain David Cameron said that Ukraine has the right to use weapons provided by London to strike targets in Russia, and it is up to Kyiv to decide whether to do so.

The new Prime Minister of Great Britain Keir Starmer confirmed on July 10 that Ukraine can use British missiles to attack Russia. He emphasized that Ukraine should decide for itself how it will use the Storm Shadow missiles provided by Britain.

However, The Telegraph newspaper noted that Britainʼs policy "has not changed" and the country, despite Starmerʼs statement, does not allow Ukraine to hit Russia with Storm Shadow missiles. Allegedly, British officials feared that such a move would lead to an escalation of the war and could involve Great Britain in a conflict with Russia.

In addition, permission to strike targets in Russia with long-range missiles will require the approval of three countries, one of which is Great Britain. Another country that produces Storm Shadow alongside the UK is France.

The Storm Shadow/SCALP EG long-range air-to-ground surface-to-air missile is a joint development between France and Great Britain. It is designed to destroy fortified ground stationary targets. The missile can break through the defense of powerful air defense systems, has a warhead of 450 kg and is capable of flying over 560 km.

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