© John Keeble / Getty Images / FileThe SCALP/Storm Shadow cruise missile is displayed at the MBDA exhibition hall during the Farnborough International Airshow 2024.
The predictable and predicted is happening again. Despite the coyly teasing dance of seven veils
performed by, mostly, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, to those who ignored the noise and focused on the signal, it's always been clear that Washington and London would decide to - officially and openly - allow and help Ukraine to use their missiles for attacks even deeper into Russia than before. And of course, it's been obvious to Moscow as well, as Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman,
made clear as early as September 11.
That the West is escalating is no surprise. It has a well-established pattern of continually ratcheting-up the stakes in its proxy war - including (but not restricted to) the supply of intelligence, mercenaries, 'advisors', various tanks, armored vehicles, missile systems, and recently F-16 fighter planes. Now it's time to fully unleash Storm Shadow and then,
if perhaps a little later, long-range ATACMS missiles. What we can safely disregard is the pretext of Iran allegedly
shipping short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. It's either simply untrue or irrelevant.
Tehran
denies the American claim. Those ready to scoff at that should recall that the West has a rock-solid record of making things up, from Iraqi WMDs to Israel's legally strictly non-existing 'right' to defend itself against those it occupies and genocides. And even if Iran has handed over missiles - as, by the way, it would have an actual right to do as a sovereign state - that is not why this specific Western escalation is occurring now.
Comment: Russia has a theory. Ukraine seems to have a lot to lose from a Trump presidency.