The White House denied reports that the United States is blocking the UK's request for Ukraine to use Storm Shadow long-range missiles for strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation. The Telegraph writes about this, reports UNN.
Details
A Biden administration official told The Telegraph that Ukraine had not received an official request to launch missiles over the Russian border, which would require the use of some American-made systems.
Ukrainian officials, including President Vladimir Zelensky, claim that the missiles will allow Ukraine to hit a number of key targets behind the front line, including airfields, ammunition depots and Russian command posts.
Mikhail Podolyak, one of Zelensky's advisers, told The Telegraph on Saturday that Storm Shadow missiles would also allow Ukraine to disrupt Russian supply chains, as they could penetrate underground bunkers and evade radar detection.
However, a senior U.S. official said that 90 percent of Russian fighter jets had been transferred to air bases outside the 155-mile range of Storm Shadow.
"Russia assumed that the United States or other Western countries might eventually give them permission to use long-range missiles in Russia, and they just made adjustments at that point," he said.
Recall
Great Britain did not give Ukraine permission to use Storm Shadow missiles to attack the Kursk region. The British government confirms that the weapons provided are intended only for the defense of Ukraine.
As The Times wrote, The United States actually prohibits the United Kingdom from granting Ukraine permission to launch Storm Shadow missiles on Russian territory due to concerns of the Biden administration regarding a possible escalation of the war.
A Pentagon spokesman said Thursday that the United States believes the use of missiles would be an "escalation" and provoke Russia's retaliatory actions against Ukraine's Western allies.
On August 17, President Zelensky stated that Britain had slowed down the pace of support for Ukraine, especially with regard to long-range weapons. Ukraine will strengthen its diplomatic work to obtain bold solutions from its partners.