Will the UK follow the US and allow the use of long-range missiles?

Now that the US has fixed Ukraine the greenish airy to usage American-supplied agelong scope missiles successful Russia, what volition the UK decide?

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing for support from Washington to usage the almighty US-made Army Tactical Missile System, known arsenic ATACMS, to deed targets wrong Russia.

UK defence officials for their portion person been seeking US support for Kyiv to usage Storm Shadow missiles provided by Britain to deed subject targets wrong Russia.

But London has not been consenting to spell it unsocial and had been waiting for the White House to alteration its mind, which it did connected Sunday.

The alteration of US argumentation paves the mode for Ukraine to usage Storm Shadow with less restrictions - thing Ukraine has been requesting for months.

Storm Shadow missiles, and their French equivalent called SCALP, person been sent successful constricted quantities - debased hundreds not thousands - to Ukraine and truthful acold person lone been utilized against targets wrong its borders.

Ukraine has already used them against Russian-occupied Crimea - for illustration hitting Russia’s Black Sea naval office astatine Sevastopol.

These missiles, which are launched from an aircraft, alert adjacent to the velocity of dependable and transportation highly explosive warheads making them an perfect limb for penetrating Russian bunkers and ammunition stores.

Protracted discussions astir firing Storm Shadow missiles heavy into Russia were raised during July's Nato acme successful Washington.

Starmer insisted the missiles were to beryllium utilized for antiaircraft purposes but said "it's up to Ukraine to decided however to deploy it".

In a connection connected X astatine the clip Zelensky wrote helium had "learned astir the support to usage Storm Shadow missiles against subject targets successful Russian territory", adding that helium and Starmer had the "opportunity to sermon the applicable implementation of this decision".

But thing really happened aft the summit.

Zelensky made it wide the usage of long-range missiles are a cardinal portion of his “Victory Plan”.

He raised the contented again erstwhile helium went to Downing Street to little Starmer past month, successful a gathering attended by the caller Nato caput wide Mark Rutte.

There was nary alteration successful policy, but Rutte said determination was nary ineligible crushed to forestall Ukraine from striking Russia if the countries who supplied the missiles consented.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey has worked hard to debar to amusement immoderate nationalist disagreement with Washington. When precocious asked astir the substance successful a associated property league with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, Healey said specified discussions successful nationalist would lone assistance Russia.

The fearfulness is that though Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats person turned retired to beryllium mostly bluffs, allowing Ukraine to deed targets heavy wrong Russia with Western-supplied missiles could provoke a large escalation.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned Putin had expressed specified a determination would enactment Nato "at war" with Russia - arsenic specified strikes would yet beryllium carried retired not by Ukraine but by the countries that springiness support for specified usage of missiles.

Professor Justin Bronk from defence deliberation vessel the Royal United Services Institute told BBC News it is "very likely" that US President Joe Biden's belated determination to let long-range strikes with ATACMS ballistic missiles volition besides alteration Storm Shadow to beryllium utilized successful astatine slightest the aforesaid way.

"US objections volition presumably person been dropped for them," helium said.

"Russian threats are improbable to beryllium considered a important deterrent astatine this stage, since Russia has threatened dire consequences - including allusions to atomic attacks - repeatedly passim the warfare astatine each signifier erstwhile Western instrumentality has been supplied."

But helium said determination is small crushed to deliberation that expanding the usable country for UK Storm Shadow "will marque immoderate difference" to Ukraine's quality to deed backmost astatine Russia.

He added "most of the much captious targets specified arsenic combatant bombers connected Russian aerial bases are apt beyond the scope of these missiles successful applicable presumption - and determination volition beryllium a constricted fig of the missiles disposable aft lengthy combat usage of the strategy successful the warfare to date."