French publication retracts statement about missile in Ukraine
Le Figaro initially reported that Paris and London followed Washington's lead by permitting strikes within Russian territory. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Le Figaro has retracted its earlier claim that France and the UK have permitted Ukraine to use long-range missiles provided by them to target locations deep within Russian territory. This statement was released shortly after the New York Times reported on Sunday that outgoing US President Joe Biden had authorized such strikes.
In May 2023, the UK was the first to supply Ukraine with long-range Storm Shadow missiles, followed by France several months later with its own variant, the SCALP. The US introduced its ATACMS rockets to Ukraine in the fall of the same year.
Previously, Western allies had publicly declined Ukraine’s requests to utilize these weapons for attacks deep within Russia, expressing concerns over the risk of uncontrollable escalation.
In its initial article, Le Figaro stated that the “French and the British had authorized Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory with their SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles.” However, this detail was removed in an updated version of the article, although the initial phrasing is still available in a cached version of the report.
During a press briefing ahead of an EU ministerial meeting in Brussels on Monday, France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, emphasized that there was “nothing new” regarding Paris' position on long-range strikes within internationally recognized Russian territory, indicating that such a scenario still remains a possibility.
On the same day, the New York Times reported, citing anonymous US officials, that the White House had approved Ukrainian strikes in Russia’s Kursk Region utilizing US-supplied ATACMS missiles. The NYT and other outlets noted that Washington might broaden its approval to encompass additional regions of Russia.
As of now, there has been no comment from the White House or the Pentagon on these developments.
In a video address on Sunday, President Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine cautiously welcomed the reported changes, stating, “strikes are not carried out with words. Such things are not announced.” He added, “Missiles will speak for themselves. They certainly will,” but did not provide further details.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked to media on Monday that if confirmed, Biden's reported decision would signify a “qualitatively new round of tension.”
Previously, in September, President Vladimir Putin warned that if Ukrainian forces attempted to use Western-supplied long-range missiles for strikes deep into Russia, it would imply that “NATO countries [have] become directly involved in the military conflict.”
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
In May 2023, the UK was the first to supply Ukraine with long-range Storm Shadow missiles, followed by France several months later with its own variant, the SCALP. The US introduced its ATACMS rockets to Ukraine in the fall of the same year.
Previously, Western allies had publicly declined Ukraine’s requests to utilize these weapons for attacks deep within Russia, expressing concerns over the risk of uncontrollable escalation.
In its initial article, Le Figaro stated that the “French and the British had authorized Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory with their SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles.” However, this detail was removed in an updated version of the article, although the initial phrasing is still available in a cached version of the report.
During a press briefing ahead of an EU ministerial meeting in Brussels on Monday, France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, emphasized that there was “nothing new” regarding Paris' position on long-range strikes within internationally recognized Russian territory, indicating that such a scenario still remains a possibility.
On the same day, the New York Times reported, citing anonymous US officials, that the White House had approved Ukrainian strikes in Russia’s Kursk Region utilizing US-supplied ATACMS missiles. The NYT and other outlets noted that Washington might broaden its approval to encompass additional regions of Russia.
As of now, there has been no comment from the White House or the Pentagon on these developments.
In a video address on Sunday, President Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine cautiously welcomed the reported changes, stating, “strikes are not carried out with words. Such things are not announced.” He added, “Missiles will speak for themselves. They certainly will,” but did not provide further details.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked to media on Monday that if confirmed, Biden's reported decision would signify a “qualitatively new round of tension.”
Previously, in September, President Vladimir Putin warned that if Ukrainian forces attempted to use Western-supplied long-range missiles for strikes deep into Russia, it would imply that “NATO countries [have] become directly involved in the military conflict.”
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
