The British Ministry of Defense denied the Prime Minister’s statement about allowing Ukraine to attack the Russian Federation with Storm Shadow

In an evening message to Downing Street on July 11, the British government announced that its policy on the deployment of long-range missiles remains unchanged, despite the Prime Minister’s recent announcement to ease restrictions on the use of these types of weapons. The Daily Telegraph informs about it, referring to official sources.

According to the publication, the British government last year allowed Ukraine to use missiles to hit targets in Crimea and the mainland of Ukraine, but strictly prohibited their use for attacks on the territory of Russia. This decision was made in order to avoid escalation of the conflict and preserve relations between the countries.

On July 10, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on the social network X (formerly Twitter) that Ukraine had received permission to use strategic cruise missiles against targets on the territory of Russia. In his post, he shared a photo with British opposition leader Keir Starmer, noting that the decision was discussed during their meeting.

“This morning, I learned about the permission to use Storm Shadow missiles against military targets on the territory of Russia. We discussed the practical aspects of implementing this decision,” Zelenskyi said.

However, a high-ranking source in the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain emphasized that the situation has more nuances than reported by the President of Ukraine. According to these sources, the launch of a strategic missile on the territory of Russia requires the approval of three countries: Great Britain, France, which is a joint manufacturer of Storm Shadow, and another partner country.

At the NATO summit held the day before, Keir Starmer underlined his support for Ukraine, saying that the UK remains unwavering in its support for Ukraine’s eventual victory.