The UK government recently extended the supply of Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine so that Kyiv could continue its campaign of long-range strikes against Russia. This is reported by UNN with reference to Bloomberg.
Details
The delivery of an unspecified number of missiles was made to provide Ukraine with supplies ahead of the winter months. The UK is concerned that the Kremlin will intensify attacks on Ukrainian civilians, according to people who spoke anonymously about issues that have not been made public.
As Russia increasingly suffers from sanctions, the UK and its allies are trying to show Vladimir Putin that Western support for Ukraine will last longer than the Russian economy is able to sustain its military efforts.
This move by the UK comes after US President Donald Trump again ruled out sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. Storm Shadow has helped Volodymyr Zelenskyy's administration focus on vulnerable targets in Russia. In October, the Ukrainian military said it had hit a Russian chemical plant with British-made long-range weapons.
A massive combined missile and air strike was carried out, including the use of air-launched Storm Shadow missiles, which successfully penetrated the Russian air defense system.
This was the first confirmed use of Storm Shadow missiles on Russian territory since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
What is known about Storm Shadow missiles
Storm Shadow are high-precision air-launched guided missiles with a range of over 250 kilometers. They fly close to the terrain at high speeds, using a combination of so-called inertial navigation with a global positioning system and terrain-following navigation, according to a fact sheet on the website of their manufacturer MBDA.
The UK government has not disclosed how many Storm Shadow missiles it has transferred to Ukraine during the war, and does not regularly announce such transfers.
Ukrainian forces first fired British long-range weapons at military targets in Russia last November. This strike came a day after Ukraine first deployed US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, following the decision by then-President Joe Biden's administration to approve Kyiv's limited use of these weapons to strike targets in Russia. The Storm Shadow system requires the use of US targeting data at full capacity.
Last week, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Ukraine's prospects are improving after Trump imposed sanctions on Russian oil, indicating that Kyiv's allies are cautiously optimistic that a stronger US stance could harm the Kremlin's ability to sustain its war.
We are in a better position
Addition
The Pentagon gave the White House "the green light" to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles, assessing that it would not have a negative impact on American stockpiles, leaving the final political decision in the hands of President Donald Trump.