Paris allows Ukraine to fire French long-range missiles into Russian territory

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed that his country has given permission for the use of long-range French missiles by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Russian Federation. This should be done "for the purpose of self-defense".

This is stated in an interview with a BBC official.

Barrot did not confirm whether the Ukrainian military had already used French weapons. He is convinced that the Western allies should not set any restrictions on supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia. Asked if this could mean French troops taking part in hostilities, the minister said Paris "doesnʼt rule out any option".

"We will support Ukraine as intensively and for as long as necessary, because our security is at stake. When the Russian army advances one square km, the threat becomes one square km closer to Europe," added Jean-Noël Barrot.

He suggested that Western countries will have to increase defense spending and called it a "new challenge" for partners. Barrot once again emphasized that France is not against Ukraine joining NATO.

"We are open to sending an invitation [to Ukraine to the Alliance]. Therefore, in discussions with friends and allies, we are working to bring their position closer to ours," says the head of the countryʼs MFA.

Ban on attacks of Ukraine deep into Russia by weapons of partners

Kyiv has long asked its allies to allow their weapons to be used for long-range strikes deep into Russia. For such purposes, Ukraineʼs arsenal includes, in particular, American ATACMS surface-to-surface long-range missiles and British Storm Shadow long-range missiles.

However, none of these countries gave official permission to use their weapons for attacks deep into the Russian Federation. The US feared a possible escalation against the background of this decision. In September 2024, The Guardian wrote that Great Britain had 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.

A few days before the announcement of Ukraineʼs permission to strike ATACMS on the territory of the Russian Federation, the media wrote that French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer want to convince the US President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to strike with long-range Storm Shadow missiles deep into Russia.

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