By The Moscow Times | Created at 2024-11-18 11:15:20 | Updated at 2024-11-18 13:39:37
2 hours ago
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Monday that Paris remains open to allowing Ukraine to use French long-range missiles to target military sites inside Russia, following reports that the United States has permitted Kyiv to use American-supplied missiles for the same purpose.
Washington's policy shift — long requested by Ukraine — was reportedly made in response to North Korea sending troops to support Moscow's war effort. The decision could prompt European allies to reassess their own positions.
Barrot noted that French President Emmanuel Macron had already signaled in May that Paris was willing to consider such a move.
"We openly said that this was an option that we would consider if it was to allow to strike targets from where Russians are currently aggressing Ukrainian territory," Barrot told reporters in Brussels.
"Nothing new under the sun," he added, speaking ahead of an EU foreign ministers meeting in the Belgian capital.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long advocated for authorization to use the U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to strike targets inside Russia. However, U.S. officials previously expressed concerns over escalating tensions with Moscow and the potential depletion of their own ATACMS stockpile.
France and Britain have supplied Ukraine with long-range Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles but have so far refrained from authorizing their use within Russia's borders, awaiting U.S. approval for ATACMS deployment.
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