Even before the new announcement, London had announced the delivery of “Storm Shadow” cruise missiles to Ukraine.
(Photo: Bloomberg)
London, Berlin Britain will deliver hundreds of anti-aircraft missiles and long-range drones to Ukraine. This was announced by the government in London during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The guest of state met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for talks at his country residence Checkers north-west of the British capital on Monday, having previously visited Rome, Berlin and Paris.
“Britain is a leader in developing our capabilities on the ground and in the air,” the Ukrainian tweeted ahead of his arrival. Sunak spoke of a “decisive moment for Ukraine’s resistance to a terrible war of aggression”.
Britain has been one of the largest arms suppliers to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022. Last year, the British provided military aid worth the equivalent of around 2.6 billion euros.
Even before the new announcement, London had announced the delivery of “Storm Shadow” cruise missiles to Ukraine. These long-range weapons enabled the Ukrainian army to push back Russian troops from its own territory, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in parliament a few days ago. Tests to determine whether the weapon could also be fired by Soviet-era Ukrainian Su-24 fighter jets had already taken place in Poland last year.
Delivery for Ukraine
The Storm Shadow cruise missile has a range of about 250 kilometers. That is significantly more than the Mars II rocket launchers supplied by Germany with a combat range of a good 80 kilometers.
Britain has been one of the largest arms suppliers to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
(Photo: dpa)
The missiles for the Himar system previously supplied by the United States to Ukraine have a similar range. According to media reports, the USA could also provide missiles with ranges of up to 150 kilometers this spring.
The deployment of Himars and Mars had already forced Russia to relocate ammunition depots and logistics bases further away from the front to the rear. With longer-range weapons, the Ukrainian army could not only make it more difficult for the Russians to supply supplies, but also reach the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov has threatened a “military response” in this case.
According to the government in London, “hundreds of anti-aircraft missiles and other unmanned aerial systems, including hundreds of new long-range attack drones with a range of over 200 kilometers” are now to be added to the Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
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These would be delivered in the coming months as Ukraine prepared to step up its resistance to the ongoing Russian invasion.
response to delivery
However, there are fears that after the delivery of long-range weapons, the Ukrainian army could attack not only its own occupied territories, but also the Russian heartland.
However, at a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in Berlin on Sunday, the Ukrainian President emphasized that Ukraine was not attacking Russian territory, but only liberating its legitimate areas. “We don’t have the time or energy for anything else. We also don’t have any weapons left to do that with,” he said.
Despite the concerns, FDP defense expert Marcus Faber considers the delivery of more far-reaching weapons to be a logical step. “Confidence in Ukraine’s reliability is growing,” Faber told Handelsblatt.
The delivery of cruise missiles and drones from Britain allows the invaded to attack the invading forces throughout the occupied territory. The supply routes of the occupiers could thus be disrupted in line with the counter-offensive. “Other partners should join this help from London,” said Faber.
>> Read here: Scholz guarantees continued German support to Selenski
The new quality of support should also be an issue when British Defense Minister Wallace is received by his German counterpart Boris Pistorius (SPD) in Berlin on Wednesday.
More: Why the coming offensive will be decisive for the course of the war