LONDON, November 18. /TASS/. British Defense Minister John Healey stated that he would not comment on reports alleging the authorization of strikes deep inside Russia using Storm Shadow long-range missiles.
"I will not compromise operational security and comment on the details of long-range systems today," Healey said, answering questions from members of the House of Commons of the UK parliament. He also suggested that London should increase the volume of assistance to Kiev. The minister added that the UK would coordinate its support with the US and European allies.
The New York Times reported on November 17 that Biden had authorized the use of US-supplied ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes inside Russia. Later, France’s Le Figaro reported that France and the United Kingdom had followed suit and allowed Ukraine to use their SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles for these purposes. However, the newspaper later removed this story from its website, giving no explanations. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that Paris had not altered its position on strikes inside Russia. The German government said that the United States had notified Berlin about Biden’s decision.
The German Cabinet of Ministers said that the US informed Berlin about the decision to authorize strikes deep inside Russia. However, the White House did not confirm the reports.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov recalled that Moscow’s position on strikes by US missiles deep inside Russian territory was clearly stated by President Vladimir Putin in September. Peskov noted that this decision means a "qualitatively new round" of tensions.