France promised to give Ukraine long-range cruise missiles to deepen the war

As part of the ongoing NATO summit, France has promised to give Ukraine long-range cruise missiles so that Kyiv can “deeply” attack Russian forces.
Norway has also said it will increase its military assistance to the former Soviet republic.

Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, announced on Tuesday that Paris would give Ukraine SCALP long-range cruise missiles to aid Kyiv’s forces in hitting Russian troops and supplies far behind the front lines during the two-day NATO summit in Lithuania.

The French president stated that “I have decided to increase deliveries of weapons and equipment to enable the Ukrainians to have the capacity to strike deeply,” but he would not specify how many missiles would be sent.

Reuters reported that Paris would send about 50 SCALP missiles made by the European company MBDA, citing an unnamed French diplomatic source.

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Separately, a French military source, cited by Reuters, claimed that the missiles would be a “significant number” and would come from already-existing French military stocks. The source added that SCALP cruise missile deliveries from Paris to Ukraine have already begun.

The SCALP missiles, which will be installed in Ukrainian warplanes manufactured by the Russians, have a range of about 250 kilometers, which is three times as far as Ukraine’s current missile capabilities. The source further stated that these missiles would only be used within the internationally acknowledged borders of Ukraine.

In other parts of his speech, Macron emphasized that the delivery of such missiles would be consistent with France’s policy of assisting Ukraine in defending its territory. Inferring that Ukraine had assured France that the missiles would not be fired into Russia, he said.

The Franco-British Storm Shadow missile, made by MBDA, was said to be supplied by the UK back in May. SCALP is the name of the French variation.

Previously, France sent shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles called Mistral and short-range anti-aircraft missiles called Crotale to Ukraine, both of which can be used to engage missiles and aircraft that are flying at low altitudes.

Russia rebuked France for sending long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, calling the action a “mistake” in a statement from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.”

The decision, in his opinion, is a mistake with consequences for the Ukrainian side because it will compel us to take countermeasures, he said on Tuesday.

On a different note, Norway announced on Tuesday that it would provide Ukraine with an additional $240 million in military aid. Oslo’s military assistance to Kyiv will now total 10 billion Norwegian kroner for the current year as a result of the action.

“The defensive war that Ukraine is waging is being fought right now. The time is right now, the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Gahr Store said to reporters on Tuesday in Vilnius, where NATO leaders were meeting.

Instead of the initial 7.5 billion planned for each, Norway will now allocate 10 billion kroner to military assistance and 7.5 billion to civilian support.

Oslo has also already given Kyiv multiple rocket launchers, artillery shells, and additional armored vehicles.

The US and other European nations have continued to provide Ukraine with weapons despite repeated Russian warnings that such assistance will only serve to prolong the conflict.

They have given Ukraine weapons worth tens of billions of dollars since the war began, including rocket systems, drones, armored vehicles, tanks, and communication systems.