{"id":419,"date":"2025-05-26T18:14:59","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T15:14:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/?p=419"},"modified":"2025-05-26T18:14:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T15:14:59","slug":"ukraine-is-allowed-to-conduct-long-distance-strikes-genuinely-helpful-or-posturing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/?p=419","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine is Allowed to Conduct Long-Distance Strikes: Genuinely Helpful or Posturing?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the USA, UK, France, and Germany have lifted the long-distance restrictions on the use of their weapons that were applied to Ukraine. However, as much as I am happy, I am wondering how performative this gesture is, and I suspect others do too. Although I do have hope that it is more than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ukrainian Scalp\/Storm Shadow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine has conducted long-range strikes into russia before, such as the use of the Storm Shadows. The USA, under both Biden and Trump, has been hesitant about long-distance strikes and has applied restrictions, but these have been undertaken anyway sometimes. Additionally, it can only be effective if Ukraine has sufficient numbers of long-distance weapons. Scarcity is a problem affecting Ukraine in this area, among others of course. If it\u2019s merely a gesture, then it could appear to be a performative gesture that does not change much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may be, however, that while it may be slightly <\/em>performative, it does something important. It sends a signal to Putin that if you won\u2019t take negotiations seriously, if you continue to launch massive, attacks on civilians, like they have this past weekend (23rd to 26th of May, 2025), then we will respond, something which appeared to have been lacking recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a best case scenario, this means that these countries are going to actually send more <\/em>long distance weapons to Ukraine to take the fight to russia, to weaken the rear of their army and facilitate retreats and stop offesnive operations dead, to hit the air fields and launch sites in russia to keep the citizens safe, then we will be really talking about a decisive action from Ukraine\u2019s allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Trump is, seemingly, realising that Putin has been playing him, because he is not a smart man, and is clearly degenerating mentally. However, the response seems to be passivity and to \u201cwash their hands\u201d. Well maybe thgat is for the best. But, then Europe needs to step up, as I have said before and will continue to. This is now a chance to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weakness from the west has been exploited by Russia, over and over and over. We do not learn. Yet, this change is a positive step. It just needs to be followed through, more pressure, more sanctions, and more weapons. Get Ukraine into a better position in any potential negotiations, force them <\/em>to the table, and better yet, drive russia out as much as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are not in the best position right now. Ukraine is struggling in various ways, as Zaluzhny has recently said, but Russia is entering some dire straits economically, in terms of population, and in terms of equipment. Russia still thinks it can get more, and wants \u201crespect\u201d. Well, I say, respond with force, speed up their military disasters, make things as difficult as possible for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine has more difficult decisions ahead politically, and the people are going to continue to suffer and die, but this decision, taken way too late, might at least save some lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Finally, the USA, UK, France, and Germany have lifted the long-distance restrictions on the use of their weapons that were applied to Ukraine. However, as much as I am happy, I am wondering how performative this gesture is, and I suspect others do too. Although I do have hope that it is more than that. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,20,21,4],"tags":[24,65,16,77,64],"class_list":["post-419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-eastern-europe","category-politics","category-russia","category-ukraine","tag-russia","tag-trump","tag-ukraine","tag-usa","tag-war"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=419"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":420,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419\/revisions\/420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjplace.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}