General Christopher Cavoli NATO supreme commander requests for cruise missiles to be used against Russian forces France readies fighter jets
The top US general in Europe, Christopher Cavoli, has pushed for air-launched cruise missiles from Pentagon stockpiles to be sent to Ukraine, CNN reported on Tuesday. Cavoli, who leads Washington’s European Command (EUCOM) and serves as a senior NATO commander, has been heavily involved in coordinating Western military support for Ukraine amid its ongoing conflict with Russia.
Moscow has repeatedly warned that any such initiative will lead to a strong response, and will be interpreted as direct Western involvement in the conflict.
According to CNN, Cavoli outlined the potential benefits of providing these missiles as part of a classified strategy presented to Congress by President Joe Biden’s administration in September. The general’s recommendation is part of a broader effort to equip Ukraine with advanced military capabilities after Russian forcesr recorded a string of successes in recent months.
Air-launched cruise missiles, such as the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), could allow Ukraine to strike targets at a longer range than its current arsenal permits. This capability is seen as crucial in disrupting Russian supply lines and command centers located far behind the front lines.
General Christopher Cavoli
CNN’s report, based on unnamed sources, indicates that Cavoli’s proposal reflects a growing push within the US military to escalate its support for Kiev, as it loses ground. While the Pentagon has yet to confirm these discussions, the strategy wouid mark a shift in the types of weaponry being considered for delivery.
No official decision has been made on whether the Biden administration will move forward with providing cruise missiles, and the idea could face resistance in Congress, where some lawmakers – notably Republicans – have expressed concerns about the risks of further escalating the conflict.
This report comes as Ukraine continues to request more advanced weapons from its Western backers, seeking to bolster its defenses as the conflict with Russia drags on. Another capability reportedly mentioned by Cavoli is the Link 16, a military tactical data sharing system used by NATO members.
Kiev has long requested JASSMs and Link 16 systems, although the US has been reluctant to share these capabilities, CNN reported. Unnamed sources told the news network that the US government is concerned that Russia would be able to study secret military technology, should Kiev be allowed to operate it.
It could begin using French-provided Mirage 2000 fighter jets in the conflict against Russia in the first half of next year, the donor nation’s minister of the armed forces, Sebastien Lecornu, has told the daily Sud Ouest.
Lecornu said that training Ukrainian pilots and mechanics, which is being done at the Air Force base in Nancy, is the limiting factor for the transfer, according to the interview published on Monday.
A Mirage 2000 fighter jet of the French Air Force. © Baris Seckin / Anadolu via Getty Images
French media reported in March that Paris was secretly training Ukrainian military personnel as part of a proposed donation of planes built by Dassault Aviation. President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the arrangement in June, announcing that an unspecified number of relatively new Mirage 2000-5 versions of the military aircraft will be provided.
”The key factor is pilot training time, and so we’re going to propose to [Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky] that pilots be trained as early as this summer – it normally takes five to six months – so that by the end of the year they’ll be able to fly these aircraft,” Macron said. Media reports indicate that around a dozen jets could be sent to Ukraine. The French Air Force operates almost 100 Mirage 2000s of various types, plus another 40 are in service with the French Navy.
”The aim is to equip them with air-to-ground combat capabilities. And to strengthen their electronic warfare system,”Lecornu said.
The AGM-158 JASSM cruise missile on display next to a C-130 Hercules. © Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images Images
The Mirage 2000 is compatible with the British-French Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles that the two nations have already supplied to Ukraine. Kiev has been seeking permission to fire these long-range weapons at targets deep inside Russia. Moscow has warned that it would consider any attacks of this nature as coming directly from NATO.
Other Western nations have donated US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Kiev has lost at least one of them since the deliveries started in early August. The Russian military has reported several strikes on an airfield where the Western aircraft were reportedly stationed.
Macron previously urged members of the US-led military bloc not to rule out deploying troops to Ukraine, though the leaders of a number of other countries opposed the idea after he first floated it in February.
Last month, Zelensky traveled to the US to promote his ‘victory plan’, which reportedly requires continued Western assistance, attacks with Western long-range weapons deep inside Russia, and other measures, which critics said amounted to a “wish list.”
In a regular update on Monday, Zelensky described his plan as a work in progress, which would be finalized “once we fully understand all the positions of our partners and the real possibilities for Ukraine.” He urged sponsors “to define how they envision the end of this war” and Ukraine’s future place in the world.
CNN reported that Biden’s strategy “defined victory only in vague terms of Ukrainian sovereignty and self-determination.”
Source X/CNN/RT/AP