Britain supports Ukraine in issue of attacks on Russian Federation with Storm Shadow missiles, but fears deterioration of relations with USA - Telegraph
The UK supports Ukraine's use of Storm Shadow missiles against targets inside Russia, but will not publicly call for the step due to fears it would provoke a rift with the US.
As reported by Censor.NET, this was reported by The Telegraph with reference to sources in the White House and the British government.
As noted, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer does not want to "provoke a scandal" and follows a "consultative approach" to negotiations with the United States regarding the granting of a corresponding permit, after diplomatic scandals under the previous Conservative government.
An interlocutor in the White House told the publication that the administration of current US President Joe Biden is concerned that Ukraine's use of these missiles in the war against Russia, even without US approval, could "escalate the situation" and lead to the involvement of US troops in the conflict.
At the same time, according to journalists, earlier in the summer the British government appealed to the USA to soften its position and allow Ukraine to use missiles on the territory of Russia.
However, the United States privately expressed dissatisfaction with Britain's hasty position on the issue of supplying military equipment to Ukraine.
The publication's sources also noted that Britain's decision to become the first Western country to transfer battle tanks to Ukraine, as well as the country's support for the supply of F-16 fighter jets, caused concern in Washington, as officials believed that Britain was trying to push them to make similar decisions.
"The permission to carry out strikes on the territory of Russia will provide an opportunity to introduce the enemy into strategic uncertainty, and the arrival of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, in particular with the permission to shoot down air targets over Russia, will significantly strengthen the capabilities in the defense of the sky," adds The Telegraph.
At the beginning of July, Downing Street commented that the government's policy regarding the use of long-range weapons transferred by Ukraine has not changed.
At the same time, British Prime Minister Starmer said that the method of using the Storm Shadow missiles transferred by Britain is Ukraine's business.
Earlier, the mass media reported that Great Britain has been waiting for more than a month from the United States to agree to Ukraine's use of Storm Shadow missiles for attacks on the Russian Federation.
At the same time, the United States stated that it had not received a request from Great Britain to grant permission to Ukraine to strike with Storm Shadow missiles on the territory of the Russian Federation.
