In a remarkable change of policy, the United Kingdom has given Ukraine the green light to use British-supplied weapons to carry out strikes on Russian territory. This endorsement marks a significant strategic shift, reflecting a hardened stance among Western allies in their support for Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict.
Foreign Secretary David Cameron, during his visit to the Ukrainian capital, openly backed Ukraine’s right to self-defence, stating, “Just as Russia is striking inside Ukraine, you can quite understand why Ukraine feels the need to make sure it’s defending itself.” The UK has supplied Ukraine with billions of pounds worth of military equipment, and Lord Cameron confirmed that this includes precision-guided bombs, air defence missiles, and equipment for mobile air defence teams.
This decisive step is not without its risks and implications. The move by the UK represents a departure from a long-held caution against the escalation of the conflict. For years, Western policy, influenced by the specter of nuclear escalation and the desire to avoid direct confrontation with Russia, has been characterized by restraint.
However, recent events seem to have precipitated this policy pivot. The article “Ukraine gets the green light for strikes in Russia – it was long overdue” emphasizes that Western policymakers have likely acclimatized to the idea of cross-border strikes due to sheer exposure to Ukraine’s sophisticated air campaign and normalization of such actions.
Moreover, the strategic necessity cannot be overstated. The same source articulates that targeting sites beyond Ukraine’s borders puts a “stick in the wheel of Russia’s war machine,” degrading its capacity to fight and forcing the redeployment of assets away from the front lines.
This shift also signifies the erosion of Russia’s so-called “escalation dominance” and challenges its imagined sphere of influence. For decades, the West has, to some extent, acquiesced to the idea that Russia cares more about Ukraine and will go to greater lengths to defend its perceived interests—a notion vividly captured in the summary of former US President Barack Obama’s Ukraine policy by The Atlantic, stating, “Ukraine is a core Russian interest but not an American one.”
Relevant articles:
– Ukraine gets the green light for strikes in Russia – it was long overdue , The Interpreter, 05/10/2024
– Cameron backs Ukrainian strikes on targets inside Russia using British-supplied weapons, Yahoo News UK, 05/07/2024