Allowing Ukraine to strike Russian rear bases, without risking an escalation of the conflict. This is the dilemma facing Washington, as the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, is due to travel to Ukraine this Wednesday, September 11, alongside his British counterpart, to discuss a potential easing of rules concerning the use of long-range weapons. The Express takes stock of these missiles which could tip the conflict.
What are long range weapons?
Volodymyr Zelensky has been calling for them for a long time. Long-range missiles are essential for Ukraine to strike deep into its Russian enemy. After the American ATACMS, the British Storm Shadow or the French Scalp, the United States could soon formalize, according to Reuters, the delivery of a new type of missile, the JASSM.
With a range of 370 to 800 kilometers depending on the model, these missiles, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, are equipped with an explosive charge of 450 kg. Unlike previous models, however, the JASSM are not designed to penetrate reinforced bunkers, but rather to evade radar surveillance, particularly by flying at very low altitude. These devices can also take alternative routes to avoid air defenses, and be directed by infrared imaging sensors to an impact point, with a margin of about three meters.
Where are the negotiations?
Leaving the Polish border town of Przemysl early Wednesday morning, Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy are expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev to discuss, among other things, easing restrictions on the delivery of long-range missiles. “We don’t rule out doing that, but if we do, we want to make sure it’s done in a way that advances the goals that the Ukrainians are trying to achieve,” Blinken told Sky News.
The resumption of talks on long-range weapons follows Washington’s detection of deliveries by Iran of short-range missiles to Russia, which could use them to strike Ukraine in the coming weeks. These deliveries raise fears that Moscow will then be free to use these long-range missiles against hitherto relatively unaffected areas of western Ukraine. Following these deliveries, the West announced new sanctions against Tehran.
On Monday, September 9, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans gave the green light for the use of Dutch weapons on Russian territory, “to defend ourselves in accordance with international law.” Regarding long-range attacks on Russian soil, he encouraged other countries to “lift their restrictions,” saying that Ukraine has always respected international law by targeting only military targets.
How did Russia react?
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia’s response would be “appropriate” if Ukraine were allowed by its Western partners to use long-range weapons against its territory. “Every such decision taken by the West… is further proof of the justified, necessary and unconventional nature of the special operation” in Ukraine, added Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Last June, the Russian president already played the threat card, promising to deliver weapons to third countries that could strike Western interests, in the event of the use of long-range missiles supplied by the West. “If someone considers it possible to supply such weapons into the combat zone to strike our territory […]”Why should we not have the right to supply our weapons of the same type to regions of the world where the sensitive installations of countries that act in this way against Russia will be struck?” he had notably launched, during an interview with some fifteen press agencies, on the sidelines of the Saint Petersburg Economic Forum.
The issue also divides kyiv’s allies, with many reluctant to allow Ukraine to bomb across the border for fear that it would bring them closer to a direct conflict with Moscow. Some NATO countries, such as Italy, remain opposed to the use of their weapons on Russian territory, particularly high-precision long-range missiles.