The new capability is touted as a “game changer” by a US official, speaking to the news network
© AFP PHOTO / RABIH MOGHRABI
The UK has supplied a number of Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, CNN has reported, citing senior Western officials.
The missile is “a real game changer from a range perspective,” a senior US military official told CNN, commenting on the shipment, which the news channel reported on Thursday.
A previous report in The Washington Post said the delivery was looming.
The weapon was developed in the 1990s by the UK and France and is typically launched from the air. It can strike targets up to 300 kilometers (200 miles) away, which is comparable to the US-made ground-launched Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).
The Washington Post said London hoped its example would convince the US to follow suit and also provide long-range weapons, but according to Politico, Washington was not swayed.
The US is reportedly concerned about depleting its stockpile of ATACMS and a possible escalation, should Kiev use its new capability to strike targets on territory recognized as Russian by Western nations.
READ MORE: Washington ‘relieved’ UK will cross red line for Kiev – Politico
According to unconfirmed, classified Pentagon assessments leaked on a Discord server, Washington believes that such a development could convince Beijing to provide military assistance to Russia.
CNN, citing a Western official, reported that London has “received assurances from the Ukrainian government” that Storm Shadow missiles would be used “only within Ukrainian sovereign territory and not inside Russia”. Kiev considers Crimea, which overwhelmingly voted to become part of Russia in 2014, and the four regions, including the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s republics which joined the country in September, to be part of its territory.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky told Western media this week that the long-expected counteroffensive against Russia has been delayed because his military still needs “some things” to be delivered. He named armored vehicles as an example.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has assessed that the Ukrainians already have “what they need to continue to be successful in regaining territory” from Moscow. Many Western observers have described the promised operation as crucial for the entire conflict in Ukraine, suggesting that Kiev may see foreign support dwindle, unless it proves that it can utilize it for gains on the ground.
