French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot Photo :Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
France has joined the United States and the United Kingdom in granting Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles to hit targets in Russia. This was reported by the DPA news agency.
France: an act of self-defence
In an interview with the BBC, parts of which were published on Saturday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that Ukraine’s use of such weapons was an act of “self-defence”. He refrained from confirming whether such strikes had already been carried out.
Moscow’s reaction
The Russian authorities reacted harshly to the French official’s statement. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called this step not support for Ukraine but “the end for Ukraine”. She expressed this position in an interview with the Russian news agency TASS.
Ukraine has already used long-range weapons
This week, according to media reports, Ukraine used US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles to strike military targets in Russia. Since July 2023, France has also been supplying Ukraine with long-range Scalp missiles, which are analogues of the British Storm Shadow.
Germany keeps its distance
Germany remains the only ally that refuses to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is categorically against the transfer of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Ukraine’s reaction and Putin’s statements
In an interview with Bild am Sonntag, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent threats “a manifestation of absolute fear”.
Putin, reacting to the possible increase in military aid to Ukraine, threatened a “decisive and symmetrical” response. He stated:
“We reserve the right to use our weapons against military targets of those countries that allow the use of their weapons against our targets.”
The authorisation to use long-range weapons gives Ukraine an additional tool to defend itself against Russian aggression and strike at enemy military targets. This step could be a turning point in the war that has been going on for more than a year and a half.
