The U.K. government did not give Ukraine permission to use British Storm Shadow long-range missiles in Kyiv's incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast, The Telegraph reported on Aug. 13, citing an undisclosed British government source.
"There has been no change," the source reportedly told The Telegraph.
Despite earlier declarations by former and current British officials, London has not yet allowed Ukraine to use its missiles with a range of up to 250 kilometers (150 miles) to strike targets inside Russia. Kyiv has reportedly used Storm Shadow missiles against Russian positions in occupied Ukrainian territories, such as Crimea.
The news comes shortly after President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 12 that he had tasked officials and diplomats to present a list of necessary actions to obtain permission from its partners to use long-range weapons to protect Ukraine's territory.
Such permission could play a key role in the unprecedented incursion of Ukrainian troops launched into Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6.
Kyiv has said its forces control around 1,000 square kilometers of the Russian region but refrained from providing other details, such as a possible use of Western arms in the operation.
Russian media claimed that Ukraine has deployed U.S.-supplied Bradley and German-supplied Marder armored vehicles. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Asami Terajima
Both Washington and Berlin previously allowed Ukraine to use certain weaponry "just across the border" as self-defense but prohibited long-range strikes deep inside Russia.
Kursk Oblast shares a 245-kilometer (152-mile) border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, which has been experiencing daily Russian attacks since the liberation of its parts in April 2022.
According to the Bundestag's Defense Committee Chair Marcus Faber, it would be "completely legitimate" if Ukraine deployed German-supplied hardware in Kursk Oblast, such as Leopard 2 tanks.
In a statement issued to Politico on Aug. 9, Germany's Foreign Ministry said that "Ukraine has the right to self-defense enshrined in international law," adding that the principle of self-defense "is not limited to its own territory."
The U.S. said it has not changed its stance regarding Ukraine's use of American arms but added that the incursion into Kursk Oblast is "consistent with (their) policy."
Responding to a question on the incursion and whether Ukraine can use U.S.-supplied weapons, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh replied that the U.S. has "supported Ukraine from the beginning to defend themselves against attacks that are coming across the border."
Ukraine is taking action "to protect themselves from attacks" and operating "within the U.S. policy of where they can operate our weapons, our systems, our capabilities," Singh said.
Russian Telegram channels claimed on Aug. 9 that a column of Russian military vehicles and personnel were destroyed in the Kursk Oblast village of Oktyabrskoe in a HIMARS strike. The claim could not be independently verified.
Ukraine allegedly used HIMARS against Russian territory for the first time in early June amid a Russian invasion of Kharkiv Oblast.
