In concert with Great Britain, France has decided to send long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine so Volodymyr Zelensky's armed forces can strike Russia's armed forces from deep behind front lines.
Emmanuel Macron announced the move in tandem with the 31-member NATO alliance summit in Lithuania, at which he revealed that the goal is to mount a larger counteroffensive to Russia.
"I have decided to increase deliveries of weapons and equipment to enable the Ukrainians to have the capacity to strike deeply," Macron said, failing to reveal precisely how many missiles he is planning to send to Ukraine.
It is suspected based on statements made by a French diplomatic source that 50 SCALP missiles produced by the European manufacturer MBDA will be sent to Ukraine as part of the deal.
The long-range cruise missiles Macron talked about would come from existing French military stocks, adding in a statement to reporters that it will be a "significant number" once all is said and done.
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France previously sent shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, as well as Crotale short-range anti-air missiles, which are used to intercept low-flying missiles and aircraft.
For many months now, Ukraine has been begging the United States, its main supplier, for longer-range missiles to shoot at Russia. U.S. officials have yet to send anything in this category.
As for the missiles Britain is sending to Ukraine, these are a Franco-British type of missile, known as Storm Shadow, that is also produced by MBDA.
France's SCALP version has a range of about 250 kilometers, which is about three times as far as Ukraine's existing missile capabilities. The French military source indicates that the missiles are being integrated into Ukrainian Russian-made warplanes.
Though it is obvious that the sending of these missiles represents an escalation in the war that could prompt Russia to retaliate with even more escalation, Western powers insist the escalation is proportional because Russia is said to be using cruise missiles launched from thousands of kilometers away.
"It rebalances things and enables Ukraine to hit deep into Russian lines and can penetrate tougher targets," the source said.
Macron, meanwhile, suggested that the missiles being sent will not actually be fired into Russia. The delivery of the missiles will adhere to France's policy of assisting Ukraine for defense.
"There are guarantees for (restricting) the use of these missiles to internationally-recognized borders of Ukraine," the military source is further quoted as saying.
It is now expected that Germany will respond in kind by sending longer-range weapons to Ukraine as well. The peer pressure could get to the U.S. as well, though the Biden regime seems content with simply sending over boatloads of American taxpayer cash to Zelensky instead.
The Biden regime is said to still be deliberating as to whether or not to transfer the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, to Ukraine. This system has a range of about 190 miles, though sending it to Ukraine would almost surely prompt an escalation from Russia.
At the current time, Germany is rejecting Ukraine's request to send over its Taurus cruise missiles.
According to reports, Russian air defenses have so far been unable to intercept most of the Storm Shadows sent its way. Ukraine is said to have struck several key military targets in Russia that had moved outside the range of U.S.-provided weapons, including one of the largest Russian weapons depots in southern Ukraine, as well as several command centers.
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