Joe Barnes.
Tony Diver
in Washington
28 September 2024 5:36pm
Volodymyr Zelensky has a plan to convince Joe Biden that permission to launch British Storm Shadow missiles at Russia can turn the tide of the war.
The US president could loosen restrictions on the long-range missile, but only if Ukraine presents a “coherent strategy” on how the weapon would be used, The Telegraph understands.
Mr Zelensky laid out details of his so-called “Victory Plan” to end the war in meetings with American leaders in Washington and New York this week.
Ukrainian defence sources said the strategy centres around being granted permission to use Western missiles to dismantle Russian logistical routes used to supply its forces in Ukraine.
Kyiv believes cutting supplies of weapons, ammunition, fuel and food from Russia will make Moscow’s positions along the front lines unsustainable.
Ukraine would then attempt to use 14 new brigades, armed and trained by Nato countries, to mount ground offensives in an attempt to regain the initiative on the battlefield.
“If we can disrupt the logistical chain inside Russia, that will paralyse the Russian army on the front line,” a Ukrainian source said.
“It won’t be able to move its vehicles, people can’t be without food and they can’t use ammunition on the front line… we just don’t have enough instruments to carry out this activity.
“The next stage is to secure all that is needed for new Ukrainian brigades… It’s really important to get parity with Russia.”
Ukrainian military officials have produced a detailed map of every military target inside Russia and within the 190-mile range of the British-made Storm Shadow and American-supplied Atacms.
The targets include ammunition and fuel deports, airfields and command hubs used to wage war in Ukraine.
However, Mr Zelensky appeared to leave Washington earlier this week without having convinced Mr Biden that the strategy is sufficient to justify cross-border strikes into Russia with Western missiles.
The US president has resisted pressure to loosen restrictions on the weapons amid fears Vladimir Putin could retaliate against European and American military bases with lethal force.
But he did announce plans for a leaders-level meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Germany next month to coordinate military support from around 50 of Kyiv’s backers.
“We will follow the content of the Plan for Victory points together with our partners,” Mr Zelensky said in his daily address on Friday.
The Ukrainian leader added that “long-range capabilities” were “being considered” after his diplomatic dash around the US.
Mr Biden was said to be “amenable” to allowing Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles if they can be deployed as part of a wider strategy.
Despite the missiles being made and donated by Britain, the president holds a de facto veto over their use in Russia because they use a classified targeting system provided by the US.
Sir Keir Starmer, Britain’s Prime Minister, has privately given his backing for cross-border strikes, while Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, has publicly endorsed the move.
A European official familiar with the discussions said: “The general consensus and White House mindset is to be amenable to it, but it’s got to be part of a plan. It’s one piece of kit, and that’s quite high risk with no strategy.
“The Americans want a coherent strategy, of which long fires could play a role. They want to make holistic decisions on support over the next three months or so.”
The source’s remarks suggest that Ukraine would have to secure sufficient pledges to equip the planned 14 new brigades that would be used in tandem with long-range strikes to turn the tide of the war.
Mr Zelensky has previously complained that dwindling Western military support means there is not enough to arm even four of those brigades.
But the Ukrainian president has been warned that his attempts to ratchet up the pressure on Mr Biden to loosen restrictions on Storm Shadow could backfire.
Mr Zelensky has repeatedly delivered statements about various requests to the West in an attempt to prompt the White House to change its policy.
“Each time he does it, it p—-s people off a little bit more,” one official from a Nato country said.
The post Revealed: Zelensky’s Victory Plan to convince Biden to let him fire Storm Shadows into Russia appeared first on The Telegraph.
