Despite earlier declarations by former and current British officials, London has not yet allowed Ukraine to use its missiles with a range of up to 250 kilometers (150 miles) to strike targets inside Russia….reports Asian Lite News
London’s support for Ukraine remains “unwavering,” a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Aug. 19 following recent remarks by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The statement came after Zelensky suggested in his Aug. 17 evening address that the U.K.’s “real leadership” on weapons and politics had “slowed down” amid London’s hesitation to allow the use of long-range Storm Shadow missiles against targets on Russian soil.
“But now, unfortunately, the situation has slowed down. We will discuss how to fix this. Because long-range capabilities are a matter of principle for us. And the entire world sees how effective Ukrainians – our whole nation – are when defending their independence,” Zelensky said.
Despite earlier declarations by former and current British officials, London has not yet allowed Ukraine to use its missiles with a range of up to 250 kilometers (150 miles) to strike targets inside Russia. Kyiv has reportedly used Storm Shadow missiles against Russian positions in occupied Ukrainian territories, including Crimea.
The British prime minister’s spokesman said that the government’s position on the use of Storm Shadow missiles has not changed, according to the Guardian.
“The prime minister remains absolutely resolute in his support for Ukraine. In terms of our support, again, it is unwavering,” the spokesperson said.
The permission to use long-range weapons against targets inside Russia could help Ukrainian troops conducting an incursion into Kursk Oblast since Aug. 6.
Earlier media reports indicate that the such a move is not solely dependent on London. British official sources told the Telegraph in July that the permission would require an agreement among three countries, including the UK.
The Times reported on Aug. 16, citing undisclosed government sources, that the U.K. government asked the U.S. over a month ago for permission for Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia but is yet to receive a positive response.
An unnamed official in the US President Joe Biden’s administration denied reports that Washington was blocking a request by London for Kyiv to use the missiles, The Telegraph reported on Aug. 18.
Zelensky calls out UK, others over slow weapons deliveries
As Ukraine gains territory inside Russia but is pushed back in its own Donetsk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy heaped pressure on his Western allies for more help.
“Our guys are doing great on all fronts. However, there is a need for faster delivery of supplies from our partners,” Zelenskyy said in an evening address on Sunday.
“Decisions are needed, as are timely logistics for the announced aid packages. I especially address this to the United States, the United Kingdom and France,” he added.
Ukraine has been struggling to fend off Russia’s assault in the east, hence the calls for accelerated weapons deliveries.
Russia is rapidly advancing near Pokrovsk, Toretsk and Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region. Russian forces almost seized Krasnohorivka and occupied New York, a town in the Donetsk region, a Ukrainian army brigade said in a Telegram post on Sunday.
“The enemy is spreading across the region. The rate of advancement is very high. And, unfortunately, now his offensive potential here is limited not by the strength of our resistance, but rather by his reserves,” the brigade said.
Local Ukrainian authorities also announced involuntary evacuations in the area. “More than 53,000 people, including almost 4,000 children, still live here, but lately, the front has come too close to Pokrovsk so we have to react accordingly,” Vadym Filashkin, Donetsk governor, said in a statement Monday.
Ukraine is finding more success across the border on Russian soil, where it caught the Kremlin’s forces on the hop nearly two weeks ago now.
In the Kursk region inside Russia, the Ukrainian army reportedly destroyed all three bridges over the Seym River, Russian military correspondent Vladimir Romanov said in a Telegram post Monday.
Ukraine’s army also advanced southeast of Sudzha in Russia and took three more villages in the Kursk region, according to a new update from a war mapping project tied to Ukraine’s defense ministry.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian army reported a successful strike of the “Kavkaz” plant in the nearby Rostov region. “Oil and oil products were stored there” and supplied the Russian army, it said in a statement.