The recent demand by Ukraine for permission from Western countries to launch long-range Storm Shadow missiles into deep Russian territory has been described as blackmail by Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Lavrov was commenting on media reports that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has increased efforts to persuade his allies to lift all restrictions on the use of Western weapons against targets within Russia.
Lavrov called this pressure an attempt to create an impression that the West is avoiding excessive escalation, however he firmly denied this. In his view, the Western world does not want to avoid escalation and instead seems intent on creating problems. He further warned that expanding authorization for the use of these weapons would be extremely dangerous.
For a long time now, Lavrov stated that there have been discussions about allowing the use of not only Storm Shadow but also US long-range missiles in this conflict. However, he emphasized that playing with fire, as if they are children with matches, is extremely risky for adults who are in charge of nuclear weapons in different Western countries.
Ukraine has been lobbying to use Storm Shadows against targets deep within Russia’s territory for several months now. It plans to launch these missiles as a demonstrative measure. According to The Guardian, it cites a senior Ukrainian official who stated that Russia might consider negotiating only if they believe Ukraine is capable of threatening Moscow and St Petersburg.
Storm Shadow missiles are primarily developed by an Anglo-French collaboration and are now manufactured by the European joint venture MBDA. However, some components are supplied by the US, meaning that the White House also has to agree to their use inside Russia. So far, the Biden administration has refused this request.
Ukrainian President Zelensky has previously called on the West not to fear potential escalation by Moscow, and has argued that Kiev’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region demonstrates that Moscow does not have any “red lines. The attack began on August 6 and is reportedly the largest of its kind on Russian territory since hostilities erupted between Moscow and Kiev back in 2022.
According to the Defence Ministry in Moscow, over 6,600 Ukrainian troops have been killed during this incursion and around 800 pieces of military hardware destroyed. Russia has alleged that Ukrainian forces are using Western-supplied weapons in their assault on the Kursk Region – claims seemingly backed up by reports in Western media.
Lavrov said last week that “Zelensky would never have decided to attack Russian territory if the United States had not instructed him to do so.