The British newspaper Sunday Times published an article about the reaction of the still new British government of Keir Starmer to the Ukrainian offensive in sovereign Russian territory in the Kursk region.
Starmer and Defense Secretary John Healey decided last week not so much to change support policy for Ukraine as to change the tone and more openly acknowledge the extent of Britain's involvement. An example of this is how quickly it became known that the Challenger 2 tanks were used in the offensive.
"We will not be bothered by the fact that British weapons are used on Russian territory as part of the defense of Ukraine. We do not want any uncertainty or nervousness about Britain's support at this critical time, and a timid or hesitant response could mean just that. We should be proud to have donated equipment that helps Ukraine defend itself," the paper quoted a British government source as saying.
According to British politicians, this will convince the allies to help Ukraine more, and the British public - that the security and economic well-being of the country depends on the events on the battlefield.
Tanks are not the only British weapon used by the Ukrainian armed forces in the Kursk region. The Sunday Times also mentioned drones, but did not specify what kind. Malloy unmanned aircraft are known so far, but these are not combat machines, they are intended for supplying troops or, for example, for evacuating the wounded.
Sunday Times, following some other media, writes that the British government wants to allow Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles against military targets deep in Russia, but this is prevented by the position of the partners involved in their production - France and the United States .
British ministers believe their allies are still too afraid of "escalation" and rightfully so. They themselves do not believe that Russia will use a nuclear weapon, even a tactical one, and they do not pay attention to the rhetoric heard in Moscow. "The Russians are constantly spewing fire and brimstone," the Sunday Times quoted an anonymous British military source as saying. "I can promise you that since the beginning of the war not a single muscle has twitched in the direction of using nuclear weapons. We are constantly monitoring this because the tactical use of nuclear weapons involves many stages. There are a lot of people involved, a lot of racketeering going on.
The paper's sources say China has tied its support for Russia to not using nuclear weapons, and that Western countries have warned Moscow that if it uses nuclear weapons, they will enter the war and destroy all Russian troops in the theater of war. actions - this was said in 2022 by former CIA Director General David Petraeus and, according to the newspaper, with the blessing of the Biden administration.