France elaborates on position regarding Ukrainian long-range attacks
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has indicated that permitting Kiev to strike Russian territory with SCALP missiles remains a possibility. Read Full Article at RT.com
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The announcement comes in the wake of reports indicating that the US has authorized Ukraine to target deep within Russian territory.
France is currently contemplating whether to permit Ukraine to strike Russian territory using French-supplied missiles, as stated by Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, following a reported shift in US policy regarding the matter.
On Sunday, several Western media outlets revealed that the Biden administration has reversed its long-standing stance that prohibited Ukraine from utilizing ATACMS missiles to strike targets inside Russia. Reports suggest that Ukraine is set to use these US-supplied munitions in and around Russia's Kursk Region, where Ukrainian forces have been active since early August.
After news of the US decision emerged, Paris-based newspaper Le Figaro reported that “the French and the British had authorized Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory with their SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles.” However, the article was subsequently updated, removing any references to France and the UK permitting such strikes.
When questioned about the French government’s position, Barrot noted that President Emmanuel Macron had previously indicated in May that Paris would consider allowing the use of its missiles against Russian targets.
“We openly said this was an option that we would consider if it was to allow to strike a target from where Russia is currently aggressing Ukrainian territory. So [there’s] nothing new on the other side,” the minister mentioned, as reported by AFP.
“Nothing new under the sun,” he remarked while addressing journalists ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
SCALP is a long-range air-launched cruise missile developed jointly by France and the UK, with the British version known as ‘Storm Shadow’. Since the escalation of the conflict with Moscow in February 2022, Paris and London have supplied Ukraine with an unspecified number of these weapons.
On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarked that the US's reported permission for deep strikes into Russian territory signifies “a qualitatively new spiral of escalation of tensions and a qualitatively new situation in terms of US involvement in this conflict.”
Additionally, Russian President Vladimir Putin previously warned that any assaults on Russia’s internationally recognized territory using foreign-supplied weapons would be perceived as direct NATO involvement, given Ukraine's limited capability to operate such advanced systems independently. He cautioned that in such scenarios, Moscow might consider an asymmetrical response by equipping groups or nations opposed to the West with advanced weaponry.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
France is currently contemplating whether to permit Ukraine to strike Russian territory using French-supplied missiles, as stated by Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, following a reported shift in US policy regarding the matter.
On Sunday, several Western media outlets revealed that the Biden administration has reversed its long-standing stance that prohibited Ukraine from utilizing ATACMS missiles to strike targets inside Russia. Reports suggest that Ukraine is set to use these US-supplied munitions in and around Russia's Kursk Region, where Ukrainian forces have been active since early August.
After news of the US decision emerged, Paris-based newspaper Le Figaro reported that “the French and the British had authorized Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory with their SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles.” However, the article was subsequently updated, removing any references to France and the UK permitting such strikes.
When questioned about the French government’s position, Barrot noted that President Emmanuel Macron had previously indicated in May that Paris would consider allowing the use of its missiles against Russian targets.
“We openly said this was an option that we would consider if it was to allow to strike a target from where Russia is currently aggressing Ukrainian territory. So [there’s] nothing new on the other side,” the minister mentioned, as reported by AFP.
“Nothing new under the sun,” he remarked while addressing journalists ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
SCALP is a long-range air-launched cruise missile developed jointly by France and the UK, with the British version known as ‘Storm Shadow’. Since the escalation of the conflict with Moscow in February 2022, Paris and London have supplied Ukraine with an unspecified number of these weapons.
On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarked that the US's reported permission for deep strikes into Russian territory signifies “a qualitatively new spiral of escalation of tensions and a qualitatively new situation in terms of US involvement in this conflict.”
Additionally, Russian President Vladimir Putin previously warned that any assaults on Russia’s internationally recognized territory using foreign-supplied weapons would be perceived as direct NATO involvement, given Ukraine's limited capability to operate such advanced systems independently. He cautioned that in such scenarios, Moscow might consider an asymmetrical response by equipping groups or nations opposed to the West with advanced weaponry.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
