London’s decision to supply Kiev with long-range cruise missiles is another step towards a “serious escalation” of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday. The ministry branded the move as “a very unfriendly step” on the UK’s part, which proves London’s “unprecedented level of involvement” in the conflict.
“Carried away with geopolitical games … the UK is apparently ready to cross any red lines and bring the conflict towards a totally new level when it comes to destruction and casualties,” the ministry’s statement read.
Russia “reserves the right to take any measures deemed necessary to neutralize a threat that may arise from Ukraine’s use of the British cruise missiles,” the ministry said, adding that those behind this “reckless step” and London’s “destructive activities” in general would be to blame for the consequences.
On Thursday, the UK confirmed it was handing several of its Storm Shadow cruise missiles over to Ukraine. The weapons can hit targets over 250km (155 miles) away. British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace claimed it was a “calibrated and proportionate response” by London to the situation in Ukraine.
Washington then indicated on Friday that it was reluctant to follow London’s example. The US has long refused to provide Kiev with longer-range weapons like the ATACMS missiles. In March, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said it was not an option since the move would dwindle the Pentagon’s own stocks.
Some Western officials have reportedly suggested that giving Ukraine the option to attack targets inside Russian territory, which is recognized as such by the US and its allies, would be a major escalation of the conflict.
Kiev has long asked for such longer-range weapons. President Vladimir Zelensky’s top adviser, Mikhail Podoliak, said this week that longer-range missiles could be used to strike Crimea, which Kiev considers an illegally occupied territory. The peninsula joined Russia back in 2014 following a referendum.
Moscow has repeatedly warned Western nations that continued weapons deliveries to Ukraine make them de facto participants of the conflict – something many of them have vehemently denied.
On Thursday, the Kremlin vowed to have an “appropriate answer” to the deliveries of the British missiles.
US and Britain 'Working in Tandem' on Ukraine Missile Supplies
As London moves to supply Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles to the regime in Kiev, experts have explained to Sputnik why the British government likely made this move and how Washington might have influenced the situation.
The United States and its allies continue to display unwavering dedication to fanning the flames of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine by providing the regime in Kiev with vast quantities of lethal weapons.
Reports emerged last week that the United Kingdom want to kick things up a notch by supplying Kiev with the kind of weaponry other Western countries, such as the US, have so far been reluctant to ship to Ukraine – long-range cruise missiles that could potentially strike targets deep in Russia’s territory.
Russian military expert and political analyst Ivan Konovalov, however, told Sputnik that while it may appear that the US does not want to send long-range missiles to Ukraine, the US and the UK may be "working in tandem" when it comes to this matter.
"The Americans have their own political problems, the elections, etc. The Republicans and the Democrats, it seems, will eventually tear out each other’s throat. Biden has completely gone mad, that much is clear," Konovalov speculated. "So they (the US) do not want to escalate the situation – they let the British do it. And so the British supply the long-range missiles, Storm Shadows."
When asked about the prospects of these missiles being used against Russia, Konovalov remarked that Ukraine has already been launching strikes against Russian territory.
He did, however, predict that a confirmed Storm Shadow strike deep in Russian territory might prompt a response not against Ukraine, but rather against the "collective West", Ukraine's weapon supplier.
Meanwhile, "Arsenal of the Fatherland" web portal's chief editor Dmitry Drozdenko speculated that London may be more interested in the continuation of the Ukrainian conflict than Washington.
During an interview with Sputnik, Drodzenko suggested that, unlike the US, the UK does not really care about the situation around Taiwan or the confrontation with China.
"On the other hand, the, shall we say, economic devastation of the EU – the bloc Britain had already departed from – and the pacification of Europe allows Britain to deal with its own domestic problems, to a degree," he claimed, adding that the UK will thus likely engage in escalating the Ukrainian conflict further.
The expert also suggested that Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil, such as the recent UAV attack on the Kremlin, might have led London to believe that providing long-range missiles to Kiev would result in an even "bigger bang."
US won’t follow UK on Ukraine missiles – Blinken
The US is reluctant to follow Britain’s example and deliver longer-range missiles to Ukraine, in part due to concerns over training and maintenance, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.
His statement came after the UK confirmed that it is supplying Kiev with Storm Shadow cruise missiles that can hit targets over 250km (155 miles) away.
“Different countries will do different things, depending on their own capacities,” Blinken told PBS NewsHour, adding that the US has “provided some things uniquely to Ukraine through this process.”
He suggested, however, that Washington needs to be sure that Ukrainians are well-trained and qualified to handle more sophisticated weapons systems.
“If they don’t know how to use it, it’s not going to do much good,” Blinken argued. “If they don’t know how to maintain it, you give it to them, it falls apart in seven days.”
In March, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said the US will not send ATACMS missiles (with a range of up to 190 miles) to Ukraine because the move would dwindle the Pentagon’s own stocks.
Blinken noted that the US and its allies were “working literally every single day” with Kiev. “If there are gaps, if there are shortages, they will tell us, and we will make every effort to make good on them.”
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace stated on Thursday that the Storm Shadow missiles will “allow Ukraine to push back Russian forces based on Ukrainian sovereign territory.”
Ukrainian officials have said that the success of the planned counteroffensive against Russia greatly depends on deliveries of heavy weapons.
President Vladimir Zelensky’s top adviser, Mikhail Podoliak, said this week that longer-range missiles could be used to strike Crimea, which Kiev considers an illegally occupied territory. The peninsula voted to leave Ukraine and join Russia in the wake of the 2014 coup in Kiev.
Russia has warned that the weapon deliveries make NATO member states de facto direct participants in the conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that his country’s military would find “an appropriate answer” to the Storm Shadow missiles.
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