President Biden met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Friday to discuss whether Ukraine should be allowed to use missiles that could reach deep into Russian territory.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
President Biden met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday, and they discussed whether Ukraine ought to be allowed to use Western-supplied long-range missiles to hit military targets deep inside Russia. Now, there’s no announcement about whether that will happen, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been requesting this for a number of months. NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman joins us in our studios. Tom, thanks so much for being with us.
TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Scott.
SIMON: What’s been the hesitation?
BOWMAN: In a word, escalation, concern about Russian escalation. Putin said this week such an approval of long-range missiles inside Russia will show NATO is at war with Russia. Now, there’s no question the White House has been worried about escalation from the start of the war 2 1/2 years ago. And there’s always concern that Russia could possibly use nuclear weapons. We’ve heard that repeatedly. Most analysts say that’s really highly unlikely. But critics say the Biden administration has been too slow in providing Ukraine with the necessary tools and too concerned about escalation.
Scott, what’s changed recently is – in making approval of long-range missiles more likely is the fact that Iran has just agreed to send hundreds of missiles to Russia, and also, they have trained Russian military personnel in Iran. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that fact has, quote, “changed the debate.”
SIMON: I mean, Britain has its own long-range missiles. Couldn’t they just let Ukraine use theirs?
BOWMAN: Well, yeah, it’s a good point. They have what’s called the Storm Shadow, which can travel about 155 miles and could be used to hit those targets inside Russia. The Brits have sent a number of them to Ukraine, but that missile has American components, so they need the U.S. to sign off on those missiles to use inside Russia – the same with the French. They have a similar missile. It’s called the SCALP. So it’s possible the Biden administration could give a thumbs up for the use of the British, and also the French, missiles.
Now, the American missile, it’s called the ATACM. Scott, if – the military, of course, loves acronyms. That stands for Army tactical missile system. The long-range version can travel 190 miles. And that’s the one the Ukrainians really want. Now, they can use those long-range ones in Crimea, of course, since it’s not Russian territory. Ukraine can use some of the American-made missiles to fire into Russia right now – short distances, but only for defensive purposes, let’s say, Russia is shooting at Ukrainian troops with artillery or missiles.
SIMON: Tom, what are the implications? What are some possible consequences if these missiles were approved for use by Ukraine?
BOWMAN: Well, defense analysts and those pushing for the use of these weapons say they could hurt Russia’s ability to launch glide bombs from aircraft deep within Russia. The Institute for the Study of War says there are some – get this – 250 targets inside Russia that these long-range missiles could strike. The administration says, well, listen, the U.S. really can’t send a lot more, the U.S. says, without hurting its own military readiness, which some say is just a weak argument, because the U.S. has thousands of these long-range missiles, and the allies have hundreds. Now, the long-range missiles would be a way for the Ukrainians to push back against Russia, of course. Brad Bowman, defense analyst, says striking deep inside Russia could maybe end the invasion, or at least push Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.
SIMON: NPR’s Tom Bowman, thanks so much.
BOWMAN: You’re welcome, Scott.
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