The ex-Minister of Defence of Great Britain believes that his country should be the first to give permission for long-range weapons strikes against Russia and convince other allies of this.
Shapps calls for Ukraine to be allowed to use Storm Shadow on Russia / UNIAN collage, photo ua.depositphotos.comgetty images
Former UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said that current Defence Secretary Keir Starmer should allow Ukraine to fire Storm Shadow missiles at Russia. He calls for this in a column for The Times.
“The British people are united in their belief that Putin must not prosper from his invasion, and I am confident that Sir Keir Starmer will continue to support our friends in Ukraine,” Shapps said.
He noted Britain’s significant contribution to the fight against the Russian invasion, but noted that current efforts are now becoming insufficient, so there is an urgent need to allow the use of long-range weapons to strike Russia.
“We can no longer root for Ukraine without allowing our defensive weapons to be used where they will be most effective. It is time to stop asking President Zelensky’s brave people to fight with one hand tied behind their back,” Shapps said.
The former minister said Britain should issue a direct warning to Putin: if he continues to kill Ukrainians with glider bombs launched from Russia, Britain “will persuade the rest of the world to give permission for long-range missiles to destroy your launchers wherever they are – even inside Russia.”
He stressed that Britain must reclaim its place as a country ready to lead again, by authorising the use of Storm Shadow and convincing the French, Americans and “our more reserved German partners” to support it.
Strikes against Russia with Western weapons – current
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that there is no consensus in the West yet on lifting restrictions on the use of long-range weapons for strikes deep into the Russian Federation. He noted that there was no consensus in Crimea at the time, so Ukraine is working to lift these restrictions.
The Telegraph previously reported that Britain supports Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow missiles against Russia, but will not publicly call for this step due to concerns that it will provoke a conflict with the United States.
Politico, citing sources, wrote that the US does not want to give Ukraine permission to strike with its long-range weapons on Russian territory – in the hope of resetting its relations with Moscow in the future.
