Following his meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 8, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London, British newspaper The Times reports that discussions are currently taking place over options to deliver long-range missiles to Ukraine, including air-to-surface Storm Shadows cruise missiles and the longer-range versions of Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
At the meeting, where the U.K. also announced plans to train Ukrainian pilots on NATO aircraft, Sunak promised to provide Ukraine with more military equipment, saying that “nothing is off the table.”
Citing unnamed Ukrainian defense sources, The Times reported that Ukraine would be prepared to use the missiles to strike Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, following a notice from President Volodymyr Zelensky that longer-range missiles from western allies would be used to strike "deep in the occupied territories."
The Harpoon anti-ship missile can reach targets at ranges of up to 240 kilometers, while the range of the air-launched Storm Shadow is up to 400 kilometers, which would put the entirety of the occupied Crimean peninsula in range, including high-value air and naval bases as well as the the illegally constructed Crimean bridge.
Earlier in December, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Intelligence Directorate, said Ukraine will liberate the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula using a combination of military force and diplomacy.
“But nothing will happen without force. Our units will go there with weapons in hand,” said Budanov. He added that Ukraine would return all the territories occupied by Russia.
(Updated: )
