Italy bans Ukraine from striking targets on Russian territory

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated on the sidelines of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 29 August that Ukraine is not allowed to use Italian weapons for strikes on Russian territory, emphasising that Italy is not at war with Russia.

As reported by Corriere della Sera, Tajani emphasised that Italy maintains its stance on the weapons provided to Ukraine and that Rome "is not at war with Moscow".

"We have mostly sent defensive weapons, and now we are planning to send a new Samp-T battery, which is defensive and cannot be used on Russian territory. We reiterate that we are not at war with Russia, NATO is not at war with Russia, and therefore Italy's position remains unchanged – to use our weapons on Ukrainian territory," he said.

On 29 August, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that Kyiv was hoping to gain agreement from its partners to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia and to receive such capabilities in a timely manner.

Permission to strike targets in Russia would create strategic uncertainty for the enemy, while the arrival of F-16 aircraft in Ukraine, especially with authorisation to shoot down aerial targets over Russia, would significantly enhance air defence capabilities. 

Such permissions open new opportunities for Ukraine’s defence forces, including, as some military analysts claim, limiting enemy aviation activity if targets are hit to a depth of at least 80 km.

Media reports have also indicated that the UK supports the idea of using Storm Shadow missiles against targets in Russia but is not publicly calling for it due to concerns about a deterioration in relations with the US.

Recently, it unofficially emerged that Ukraine plans to provide the White House with a list of targets in Russia for ATACMS missiles in an attempt to persuade Biden.

For his part, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov stated that Kyiv is continuing to consult with partners on the possibility of creating an air defence "shield" over Ukraine’s western regions.