France has indicated that Ukraine could potentially utilize French missiles to target areas within internationally recognized Russian territory, although he did not verify if such attacks have already occurred.

In an interview set to air on the BBC this Sunday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot emphasized that Paris does not impose or articulate specific limitations on its support for Ukraine, suggesting that long-range strikes on Russian territory could be conducted by Ukraine as part of its self-defense strategy.

France has supplied Ukraine with an undisclosed quantity of SCALP-EG cruise missiles, which have already been deployed by Kiev to strike targets in Crimea and the four regions that were annexed by Russia in 2022. The SCALP-EG, referred to as Storm Shadow in the UK, is a British-French air-launched cruise missile with a maximum range of 550 kilometers (approximately 390 miles).

Barrot’s remarks followed a confirmation from the Ukrainian military regarding the use of Storm Shadow missiles for the first time in an assault on Russia’s Kursk Region, where Ukrainian forces initiated a cross-border operation in August. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, two of the British missiles were intercepted by Russian air defenses.

Last weekend, it was reported that US President Joe Biden granted Ukraine permission to utilize American-made ATACMS ballistic missiles for long-range operations targeting the Kursk Region. Following Biden’s decision, which has yet to receive official confirmation from the White House, Russian air defenses reportedly intercepted five ATACMS missiles over the Bryansk Region, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow. Additionally, one of the American-made missiles was damaged and subsequently fell on a military installation, the ministry noted.

In May, French President Emmanuel Macron indicated that he would contemplate authorizing the deployment of SCALP-EG missiles against targets deep within Russia. Earlier this week, Barrot informed reporters that Macron remains receptive to this possibility. His remarks to the BBC represent the first instance of a French official acknowledging that Ukraine might employ these missiles for long-range strikes against Russia.

Barrot did not provide confirmation regarding whether such attacks have already occurred.

Russia reacted to the recent ATACMS and Storm Shadow strikes by launching a new ballistic missile at a military industrial facility in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. The hypersonic missile, known as the Oreshnik and capable of carrying nuclear warheads, struck the facility with multiple warheads at incredible speed. President Vladimir Putin announced that this missile will be mass-produced and added to Russia’s military inventory in the upcoming months.

In his remarks, Putin accused the United States and NATO of intentionally escalating tensions and asserted that Russia would fulfill all its military goals, irrespective of the weaponry employed by Ukraine. He warned that further use of Western arms would lead to retaliatory actions against targets selected by Moscow, emphasizing in a televised address, “make no mistake: there will always be a response.”