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(Bloomberg) — The
US and UK governments are discussing allowing Ukraine to deploy British cruise missiles backed by US navigational data to conduct long-range strikes inside Russian territory,according to people familiar with the matter.The issue is part of conversations that have taken place over the past few days as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks in London and Kyiv, the people said. The US and UK this week signaled that they’re open to a request from Ukraine to bolster its ability to carry out deep strikes in Russia.
As Kyiv pushes for more powerful Western weapons to hit military sites on Russian territory, officials have spoken about whether the White House could grant permission for Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles in cross-border attacks, the people said.
The White House could grant permission for Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles? Wouldn’t that be up to the British?
Storm Shadows are precision-guided, air-launched missiles with a firing range in excess of 250 kilometers (155 miles). They fly close to the terrain at high speeds before reaching their targets, using a system combining so-called inertial navigation with Global Positioning System and terrain-reference navigation, according to a fact sheet on the website of their manufacturer MBDA.
The GPS system of satellite navigation is operated by the Pentagon, although it’s also used for public purposes such as online directions for drivers.
Oh, I see. The GPS system is operated by the Pentagon, including the one used every day by regular drivers. Wow, that makes me think about the journalist Michael Hastings, killed in a car crash at the age of 33.
Remember this? It was strange in many ways.
Michael Hastings, the fearless journalist whose reporting brought down the career of General Stanley McChrystal, has died in a car accident in Los Angeles, Rolling Stone has learned. He was 33.
Digression over, back to British missiles being used with the okay of the Pentagon
When used in complex operations, Storm Shadow missiles are often assisted by US-provided data that helps them map terrain with a high level of accuracy, according to the people familiar, who spoke on condition of anonymity discussing operational details that aren’t public.
Zelenskiy Pushing
The US, which has placed restrictions on its hardware used in strikes within Russia, currently doesn’t permit its navigational data to be used. President Joe Biden’s administration has cited the risk of escalating the war against Russia.
On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin warned against the move. He said Ukraine’s army would need help with mission programing from NATO specialists to launch long-range strikes.
That would mean “NATO countries – the United States, and European countries – are at war with Russia,” Putin said in St. Petersburg. As the “very essence of the conflict” shifts, Russia will “make appropriate decisions” based on new threats, he said.
But President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has stepped up his lobbying to lift restrictions, which also pose as a stumbling block for using British weapons for long-range strikes. That’s being discussed, the people said, suggesting the US and UK governments are weighing a number of ways to soften rules on Ukraine’s use of Western weapons.
The Pentagon maintains a “close and ongoing dialogue with our allies, including the UK, to ensure that any coordination on military capabilities aligns with our shared goals and international law,” spokesman Charlie Dietz said, declining to comment on discussions over US data.
The UK’s Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence also declined to comment.
During his travels this week, Blinken indicated he was listening to Ukrainian requests on deep strikes. Zelenskiy said he’ll discuss the matter further with Biden later this month in New York, where world leaders will gather for the United Nations General Assembly. Biden was also set to discuss the matter with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Washington Friday.
“We have adjusted and adapted as needs have changed, as the battlefield has changed and I have no doubt we’ll continue to do that,” Blinken told reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Russia was guilty of “a significant and dangerous escalation” by receiving Iranian ballistic missiles for use in its war in Ukraine, speaking at the same press conference.
I’m still less than certain that Iran did provide ballistic missiles to Russia.
And, am more suspicious that Russia provided some type of air defense to Iran which has raised the hackles of western powers.
Additional update as of 4:11 pm edt
“So this is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is a question of deciding whether or not NATO countries are directly involved in a military conflict,” Putin told Russian state TV.
“If this decision is taken, it will mean nothing less than the direct involvement of NATO countries, the United States and European countries in the war in Ukraine. This will be their direct participation, and this, of course, will significantly change the very essence, the very nature of the conflict.”
Russia would be forced to take what Putin called “appropriate decisions” based on the new threats.
And a bit more from one of only 3 X accounts I’ve found to be solid. Geroman is quite popular at our house
Putin:
The FULL Statement on the “permission” by US and UK for long range Western missiles attacking the territory of the Russian Federation: “There is an attempt to substitute concepts. Because we are not talking about allowing or prohibiting the Kiev regime to strike at Russian territory. It is already striking with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles and other means. But when it comes to using high–precision long-range Western-made weapons, it’s a completely different story. The fact is that, as I have already said, and any experts will confirm this (both here and in the West), the Ukrainian army is not able to strike with modern high-precision long-range systems of Western production. It can’t do that.
This is possible only with the use of satellite data, which Ukraine does not have — this is data only from satellites of either the European Union or the United States, in general, from NATO satellites. This is the first one. The second, and very important, perhaps key, is that flight missions to these missile systems can, in fact, only be carried out by military personnel of NATO countries. Ukrainian servicemen cannot do this. And therefore, it is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not to allow it. It’s about deciding whether NATO countries are directly involved in a military conflict or not.
If this decision is made, it will mean nothing more than the direct participation of NATO countries, the United States, and European countries in the war in Ukraine. This is their direct involvement. And this, of course, significantly changes the very essence, the very nature of the conflict. This will mean that NATO countries, the United States, and European countries are at war with Russia. And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the very essence of this conflict, we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be created to us.”