Following the U.S. green-lighting Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles against Russia on Sunday, Ukraine deployed the weapons on Tuesday. On Wednesday the U.S. ‘withdrew objections‘ to Ukraine deploying long-range Storm Shadow missiles against Russia, a move that under the new Russian nuclear doctrine, allows Russia to deploy nuclear weapons against the U.S., NATO member states and Ukraine.
U.K. Prime Minister Kier Starmer suggested Wednesday that it is only a matter of time before Ukraine begins to use the Anglo-Franco missiles against the Russian motherland.
“It is for Ukraine to decide how to deploy [them] for defensive purposes,” Starmer said Wednesday, according to The Times.
Starmer is reported to actually want Ukraine to deploy the weapons.
“In private a senior government source said that Starmer’s position was in fact straightforward — he wants to allow Ukraine to use the weapons as it sees fit for its self-defence. Behind the scenes, Britain has been pressing the US on the issue for months,” The Times reported Wednesday.
Despite the fact that deploying Storm Shadows may lead to the U.K. being nuked by Russia, Starmer hopes the weapons get used, although he doesn’t even believe their use would change the outcome of the war. He just wants them to be used.
“According to the publication, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer changed his initial position on this issue: if he had previously spoken more cautiously, then after the approval of the strikes by the United States, he “began to throw caution to the wind.” At the same time, Starmer’s associates claim that Storm Shadow missiles will not change the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine,” Pravda said Wednesday.