France one-ups Biden by sending long-range missiles to Ukraine

2023-07-11

France’s Emmanuel Macron agrees to send crucial long-range missiles to Ukraine that White House claims would spark further escalation with Russia

Paris will send SCALPS, a long-range missile that can hit targets more than 155 miles away
The French president confirmed the move at the start of a two-day NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania
U.S. officials have repeatedly refused to send its long-range weapons, known as ATACMS, because they fear it would provoke Vladimir Putin

Pressure is mounting on Joe Biden to send crucial long-range missiles to Ukraine after France said it would ship the potentially game-changing weapons.

French president Emmanuel Macron said Paris would provide the SCALP surface-to-air missile system to strike targets further inside Russian-occupied territory.

‘We have decided to deliver new missiles allowing deep strikes to Ukraine,’ he said, without saying how many would be sent from its arsenal of just under 400.

French president Emmanuel Macron made the announcement at the start of a two-day NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania

Britain sent its own version of the SCALP, known as the Storm Shadow, to Kyiv in May. The UK was the first country to send long-range missile to Ukraine.

A senior French military source said the shipments have already begun, and that they will be fired from non-Western fighter jets.

‘It rebalances things and enables Ukraine to hit deep into Russian lines and can penetrate tougher targets,’ he said, dismissing concerns that it could escalate the war further.

It follows a decision by Britain in May to its own version of the missile system, known as Storm Shadows, becoming the first country to supply long-range missiles and help the Ukrainian military drive out the Russian invaders.

Macron’s move could see Biden face calls from Ukraine hawks in Congress to stump up U.S. stocks of ATACMS missiles.

Washington is the biggest backer of the Ukrainian war effort, providing more than $40 billion in military aid.

But the White House has repeatedly refused to grant the 190-mile range missiles amid fears they could attack deep inside Russia’s internationally-recognized borders.

Officials have argued that sending the weapons would be an escalatory move that could provoke Vladimir Putin to lash out.

Shortly after Macron’s announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov threatened Ukraine with punishment ‘countermeasures’ after the French move.

‘From our point of view, this is a mistaken decision, with serious consequences for the Ukrainian side, because naturally it will force us to take countermeasures,’ Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s long-serving chief propagandist, said.

‘I repeat our position of principle regarding such decisions (on arms deliveries): they cannot influence the course of events’ in Ukraine,’ he added.

Russia made a similar threat against Britain when it delivered its long-range cruise missiles, but it never materialized.

The French announcement came as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky slammed NATO for failing to provide a proper timeline to full membership for Kyiv.

‘Uncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit,’ he said ahead of a planned visit to Vilnius on Wednesday.

‘It seems there is no readiness either to invite Ukraine to NATO or to make it a member of the alliance,’ the war-time leader added, branding the decision ‘unprecedented and absurd’.

One of Zelensky’s most senior aides, Mykhailo Podolyak, echoed the president’s frustration, saying that ‘NATO needs to stop being afraid of responsibility.’

Jens Stoltenberg, the chief of the mutual defense club, had insisted earlier on Tuesday Kyiv would be given ‘a clear message’ about the pathway to membership.

Ukraine is seeking interim security guarantees from the U.S. and its allies as it waits to join NATO.

A paper by ex-NATO chief Ander Fogh Rasmussen and his chief of staff Andriy Yermak last year suggested a Kyiv Security Compact, effectively shadow alliance membership, to protect the country and its people from future Russian aggression.

It said that it should include US, Great Britain, Canada, Poland, Italy, Germany, France, Australia, and Turkey, as well as Baltic, Central and Eastern Europe.

Ukraine was first considered for NATO membership in 2008 but was never offered a formal process to join amid fears that Russia would be provoked by such a move.

Under Article 5 of the alliance’s mutual defense treaty, an attack on one NATO ally is considered as an attack on all.

But it is not automatic, and the clause requires the approval of all NATO countries to be triggered.

The thorny issue of Ukrainian membership is not the only split to overshadow the two-day meeting, with questions being raised about the U.S. decision to send controversial cluster bombs to Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had been amongst a chorus of voices who raised concerns about shipping the highly lethal arms to the war-torn country.

The hope is that the weapons could help bolster the Ukrainian counter-offensive as its forces run low on ammunition.

But in a response to DailyMail.com, Sullivan dismissed claims that the 31-nation military alliance was fractured over its backing of the Ukrainian military.

‘I would say rumors of the death of NATO’s unity were greatly exaggerated,’ he said. ‘Vladimir Putin has been counting on the West to crack, NATO to crack and the transatlantic alliance to crack and he has been disappointed with every turn.’

The Russian tyrant will be ‘very much disappointed’ by what emerges from the meeting in Lithuania, Sullivan added.

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