French Minister: Long-Range Strikes on Russian Targets Remain on the Table

France’s Minister for European Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, has confirmed that allowing Ukraine to strike military targets in Russia using French long-range missiles remains a viable option, with no changes to the current stance, according to Reuters on November 18.

"We openly said this was an option that we would consider if it was to allow to strike a target from where Russia is currently aggressing Ukrainian territory. So nothing new on the other side," Barrot told reporters ahead of an EU ministers' meeting in Brussels.

Previously, Le Figaro reported that France and the UK had authorized Ukraine to carry out deep strikes into Russian territory using SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles. However, the publication was later removed.

On November 17, it was reported that the Biden administration had lifted restrictions on Ukraine using US-supplied weapons for deep strikes into Russian territory. According to officials, these weapons are expected to target Russian and North Korean forces, bolstering the defense of Ukrainian troops in Russia’s western Kursk region.