by Francis Tuschek, Staff Writer
The EU’s outgoing foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has confirmed reports that Washington has lifted restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US-supplied long-range missiles against targets deep inside Russia. The move would mark a major shift in Washington’s policy regarding the Ukraine conflict.
The New York Times reported on Sunday, citing unnamed American officials, that US President Joe Biden has reportedly removed the restrictions on Ukraine’s use of ATACMS missiles.
Borrell was asked to comment on the reports and the timing of Biden’s alleged decision during a press conference on Monday.
The White House “has authorized the use of its weapons, with up to 300km radius, (to hit) into the Russian territories,” he told journalists, according to several outlets.
“It’s not that much in terms of distance, it doesn’t go deep into the country, but this is the decision by the Biden administration,” the EU’s top diplomat said. He noted that the Biden administration had “said ‘no’ for a long time and then they are ending up saying yes.”
“Why have they taken this decision now and not before the (presidential) elections? I don’t know,” Borrell said.
Up until now, the use of Western long-range weapons against internationally recognized Russian territory has been banned by Kiev’s backers out of concerns that it could lead to an escalation of the hostilities.
On Monday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said he could not “confirm any policy changes.”
Borrell was also asked about the EU member-states’ stances on the matter, saying this has been discussed but is a “national decision” and each member-state will take the decision when they are ready.
“Today there were no decisions on this,” he stated.
The French daily Le Figaro also reported on Sunday that France and the UK had followed Washington’s lead, and decided to allow strikes with their weapons deep inside Russia. The daily, however, later deleted its claim that the countries had authorized the use of SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles for such strikes.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters on Monday that Paris is still considering whether to allow Ukraine to target Russian territory with French-supplied missiles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the Western countries against allowing Ukraine to use their long-range weapons to strike Russia, noting that this could lead to a direct confrontation and possibly even nuclear war. He argued that Kiev would be unable to carry out such attacks on its own because such strikes rely on targeting data provided by NATO.