Britain is the first Western country to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles capable of hitting the Crimean peninsula. As Ukraine has repeatedly requested long-range missile support from the West, but has rejected it out of fear of a possible attack on the Russian mainland, attention is focused on how Britain’s latest aid policy will affect the West’s support strategy in the future.
According to foreign media such as Reuters and CNN on the 11th (local time), British Defense Secretary Ben Willis, who is visiting the U.S. for talks on support for Ukraine, announced that it had provided Ukraine with the long-range missile “Storm Shadow.”
He said the “Storm Shadow” missile has a long-range, conventional-only, precision-strike capability and complements other long-range systems, which he hopes will enable it to push Russian forces out of Ukrainian territory.
The UK also said it had received assurances from the Ukrainian government that the missiles would only be used within Ukrainian sovereign territory and not on the Russian mainland.
European missile manufacturer MBDA’s Storm Shadow is an air-launched, long-range missile designed to strike high-value targets such as fortified bunkers and critical infrastructure. The shadow missile has a maximum range of about 560 km, but it is modified for export to about 240 km.
Earlier, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said at a security conference in Munich in February that Britain would be the first country to provide long-range weapons to Ukraine.
As Ukraine secured these long-range missiles with British support, the Russian mainland was within Ukrainian range.
As Russia previously announced that it would respond through the military if Britain provided long-range missiles to Ukraine, analysts say that relations between the two countries will deteriorate further in the future.
In December of last year, Minister Willis sent a letter to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoig, openly expressing his opposition to intentional attacks on civilian facilities in Ukraine, and saying that if such attacks continue, additional high-performance weapons support will be considered. there is.
Meanwhile, other Western countries, including Britain, are in the mood to step up military aid to Ukraine this year.
Following the UK’s support for 14 Challenger 2s, the main battle tank, in January, several other countries, including the United States and Germany, announced support for tanks.
The Ukraine International Fund, in which Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden are participating, announced on the 2nd that it would support missiles and rockets with a range of 100 to 300 km.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.