The US and UK governments are reportedly in discussions about supplying Ukraine with British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, potentially backed by US navigational data, to allow for long-range strikes within Russia, Bloomberg reports.
The move, if approved, would significantly escalate the conflict and potentially trigger a more direct confrontation between the West and Russia.
Sources familiar with the ongoing talks revealed that the issue has been under consideration for several days, following discussions between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in both London and Kyiv. Both the US and UK have signaled an openness to Ukraine’s request for more powerful weaponry capable of deep strikes into Russian territory. President Joe Biden is expected to discuss the possibility further with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his visit to the White House on Friday.
The Storm Shadow missile, manufactured by MBDA, is a precision-guided, air-launched weapon with a range exceeding 250 kilometers. It utilizes a complex guidance system combining inertial navigation with GPS and terrain-reference navigation. While the GPS system is operated by the Pentagon, it is also used publicly. However, in complex operations, Storm Shadow missiles often rely on US-provided data for highly accurate terrain mapping.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pushing for the provision of such weaponry, saying that he will further discuss the matter with Biden later this month in New York during the United Nations General Assembly.
The US currently prohibits the use of its navigational data for strikes within Russian territory, citing concerns of escalating the conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to these developments on Thursday, warning that Ukraine would require assistance from NATO specialists to program the missiles for long-range strikes – a perspective that would mean “NATO countries — the United States, and European countries — are at war with Russia,” which would require “appropriate decisions” from Moscow.
UK Prime Minister Starmer, responding to Putin’s comments, said that the UK does not seek conflict with Russia but declined to comment on specific weaponry.
