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, The Times reported on Aug. 16, citing undisclosed government sources.
Ukraine has long been asking its Western partners for permission to use long-range missiles, like the Storm Shadow or American ATAMCS, inside Russia.
So far, the Western countries have not budged on the issue, even as Kyiv launched a cross-border incursion into Russia.
One British government source told The Times that the request has been effectively "stuck in their (U.S.) system," while another called it a "routine U.S. process." A third source said the discussion with allies on using the Storm Shadow is ongoing.
According to one of the sources, London does not blame Washington for the delay and considers it an expected part of a policy change process.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
The story did not specify why the use of Storm Shadow, a cruise missile co-developed by the U.K. and France with a range of 250 kilometers (150 miles), would be contingent on Washington's approval.
Matthew Palmer, a U.S. charge d'affaires to the U.K., denied for Times Radio that his government would have a say in the matter.
Earlier media reports indicate, however, that the permission is not solely dependent on London. British official sources told the Telegraph in July that such a step would require an agreement among three countries, including the U.K.
Though the sources did not name the other two countries, France is a likely candidate as it produces its own variants of Storm Shadow called SCALP/T, which have also been supplied to Ukraine.
The latest news could indicate that the U.S., the leading force in the pro-Kyiv coalition and the most powerful NATO member, may also be one of the three nations.
Martin Fornusek
The Pentagon said that while Ukraine's Kursk incursion is consistent with its policy on the use of American arms, there was no relaxation on the use of long-range weapons deep inside Russia. The U.S. previously permitted the use of U.S. arms on Russian territory just across the Ukrainian border.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh reiterated Washington's worries about a possible escalation of the war. Some media reports indicate that the U.S. simply considers the ATACMS missiles more useful, for example, for strikes in occupied Crimea than in Kursk Oblast.
Like the U.S., the U.K. also allowed Ukraine to use British-supplied arms during the Kursk incursion, with the exception of long-range missiles.
According to Kyiv, the restriction on strikes deep inside Russia was one of the motivations behind the Kursk operation.
"If Ukraine could strike the enemy troops on their territory, from where they threaten Ukraine, then Ukraine would be in a much better position to protect itself," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on Aug. 13.
"In particular, it would be less necessary to use the Ukrainian defense forces outside of the Ukrainian borders, including Kursk Oblast."
Kateryna Hodunova
