UK spearheading effort to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles, report says
British air-launched cruise missile Storm Shadow (Photo:MBDA)
A group of European countries, led by the
United Kingdom, is seeking to provide Ukraine with missiles
capable of striking targets up to 300 kilometers away, Reuters reported on May
9.
Last week, the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), established to procure weapons for Kyiv, issued a call for companies that could provide Ukrainian forces with long-range missiles. The fund's executive committee includes the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden.
The UK Defense Ministry, which manages the fund, asked companies to contact them if they could provide land-, air-, or sea-launched missiles, with 20-490 kg warheads.
Other desired requirements specified by IFU include "low intercept probability," and "means of overcoming missile defenses to increase the likelihood of a successful strike."
However, a UK official told Reuters that no final decision has been made regarding sending these missiles to Ukraine.
Yuriy Sak, an advisor to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, stated that Kyiv has no specific information regarding the UK's efforts to supply long-range missiles, adding that Ukraine has repeatedly asked for this kind of weapons.
“We would be happy if the United Kingdom led the way when it comes to (supplying) long-range missiles – just as it did with the Challenger-2 main battle tanks," said Sak.
Earlier, The Washington Post reported that the UK may be preparing to transfer Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles to Ukraine, which meet the specifications requested by IFU. During President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the UK in late February, London has agreed in principle to supply long-range weaponry to Kyiv.
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