The News
Ukraine is using weapons provided by Western governments, including the UK, US, and Germany, as part of its ongoing incursion into Russia.
Ukraine is “free to use” British weapons on Russian soil, a spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defence said, adding that Ukraine’s right to self-defense can include operations inside Russia.
German and US armored fighting vehicles, as well as UK tanks have been involved in Ukraine’s ground operation, the largest direct attack on Russia since World War II.
SIGNALS
Russian threats carry less and less weight in Western capitals
NATO countries, which were reluctant to let Ukraine use donated weapons to target Russia over fears of the Kremlin escalating the conflict, are no longer criticizing Kyiv for using them in its massive incursion. This is likely because Russia’s threats don’t carry the same weight they used to. “Supposed red lines have turned pink over time,” a European official told Semafor in June. Some Russian experts suggested that because of diminishing Western fears, Moscow ought to consider more aggressive responses, such as setting off a nuclear weapon to “convince our opponents of Moscow’s readiness to escalate,” a member of a Kremlin-affiliated think tank argued. The objective would be to “to re-establish deterrence,” a Russian nuclear policy researcher wrote on X.
Limits remain on Western weapons in some cases
Despite Kyiv’s repeated demands, NATO countries continue to forbid Ukraine from using Western long-range missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia. Although Washington, London, and Paris have provided Ukraine long-range missiles, these weapons are restricted to being used inside Ukraine’s territory. With long-range missiles, Ukraine could target command centers on Russian soil that are currently out of reach, an artillery commander told The Associated Press. “Normal ammunition can’t get at them.” Ukrainian officials have asked to be allowed to use US missiles to hit airfields in Russia, saying it would help Kyiv hold the territory it has there, The Washington Post reported.
Western officials say they were not informed of Russian incursion
Western countries have said they were not given advance notice of Ukraine’s assault on Russia, leading some analysts to wonder whether Kyiv had received permission to use their donated weaponry in this way, or whether the assault was planned as a fait accompli to push Western weapons policy in a more lenient direction. One former CIA officer questioned whether the US really could have been in the dark about the operation, suggesting that American officials likely “either said ‘meh,’ or winked… or even assisted.” A Ukrainian official told The Independent that “there were discussions between partner forces, just not on the public level.”