EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR FRIDAY MAY 12, 2023

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace Confirms Britain Is Sending Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine

May 11, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has confirmed that London is sending Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles to Kiev, according to TASS. Wallace’s announcement follows the earlier confirmation of plans made by U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during his Feb. 8 pilgrimage to Kiev. Wallace addressed the House of Commons on May 11, describing the move as “a calibrated and proportionate response to Russia’s escalations.” “The use of Storm Shadow will allow Ukraine to push back Russian forces based within Ukrainian sovereign territory,” Wallace said, in an obvious reference to Crimea, Donbass, etc.

The range of the Storm Shadow missiles comes close to 200 miles, which is longer than the HIMARS systems given to Kiev earlier. A senior U.S. military official told CNN that the missile is “a real game changer from a range perspective.” It should be noted that previous “game changers” and other forms of “wunderwaffen” have yet to change anything on the ground for Ukraine, which is being destroyed by their controllers in London and its lackeys in Washington. CNN, citing a Western official, reported that London has “received assurances from the Ukrainian government” that Storm Shadow missiles would be used “only within Ukrainian sovereign territory and not inside Russia,” as a clear reference to Crimea, which British officials have described as “illegally annexed,” identifying it as Ukrainian sovereign territory. However, with the May 3 brazen assault on the Kremlin by Kiev, backed by the British, those assurances will mean nothing to Russia.

The change in the military situation “will require a relevant response” from Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the news. He stated that appropriate decisions would be made by Russian commanders, without indicating what those steps might be. In the past, the Russian policy has been to push Ukrainian forces further out of range, but Moscow’s response will likely be different and asymmetric, given the unhinged escalation by the British and their proxies in Ukraine.

The Washington Post said London hoped its example would convince the U.S. to follow suit and also provide long-range weapons. Politico also says that President Biden’s team is “breathing a quiet sigh of relief, according to multiple U.S. officials,” who “hope it will silence critics who want the U.S. to send ATACMS,” which is the equivalent system in the U.S. arsenal. Politico then cites one U.S. official, perhaps the same official, who said “our policy on ATACMS has not changed.”

This latest phase of escalation by the British should be seen in the context of the growing traction of the peace initiatives coming from China, the Vatican, and Brazil, as well as the growing reality of the actual state of the battlefield in Ukraine.