France permits Ukrainian attacks deep in Russia
Date
11/25/2024 7:31:43 AM
(MENAFN) French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed that Ukraine is permitted to use French-supplied SCALP-EG missiles for strikes deep inside Russian territory, emphasizing that these actions fall within Ukraine’s right to self-defense. While Barrot did not confirm whether such strikes have already occurred, his remarks suggest that France is not imposing "red lines" on its military support to Ukraine.
Ukraine has been using SCALP-EG missiles, which have a range of up to 550 km (340 miles), to target locations in Crimea and regions of Ukraine annexed by Russia in 2022. Barrot’s comments came shortly after Ukraine acknowledged using Storm Shadow missiles in a strike on Russia’s Kursk region, where Russian air defenses reportedly intercepted two of them. The missiles, a variant of SCALP-EG, were also used in attacks following US President Joe Biden’s reported authorization for Ukraine to deploy ATACMS missiles against Russian targets.
French President Emmanuel Macron had previously signaled openness to allowing such long-range strikes, and Barrot’s statement marks the first official confirmation of this policy. Meanwhile, Russia responded to the missile strikes by launching a retaliatory attack on a Ukrainian military facility using a new hypersonic missile, the Oreshnik, which is expected to be mass-produced soon. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of continued retaliatory actions against Ukrainian and Western targets if such strikes persist.
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