By Athena Papakosta

Russia received young people ballistic missiles from the Iran and according to what was confirmed for the first time by Washington and more specifically by the American Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, he will probably use them against Ukraine in the coming weeks.

France, Germany, United Kingdom and United States of America strongly condemn and proceed to impose sanctions on the Iranian state carrier Iran Air, travel bans and freeze assets of Iranians accused of facilitating military support to Russia. Any prospect of a Western rapprochement with Iran’s reformist government now seems unlikely.

From London, the Secretary of State of the United States, shortly before visiting Kiev with his British counterpart, emphasized that the Russians have been trained by the Iranian armed forces in the use of short-range missiles.

Analysts say the missiles will bolster Russia’s arsenal, making it capable of hitting Ukrainian cities near the border with Russia or in areas it already controls, while also deploying long-range missiles deeper into Ukrainian territory.

According to the joint statement issued by the United Kingdom, France and Germany, the delivery of ballistic missiles to Russia is a “direct threat to European security”.

Iran, however, denies the transfer of missiles to Russia and speaks of propaganda. Correspondingly, in the past, Tehran also denied the delivery of the Shahed drones to Moscow, with their wreckage having been found in Ukraine.

The new developments are expected to mark the start of a new round of pressure on the United States to allow Kiev to use Storm Shadow missiles, which it has received from Britain, for strikes deeper into Russian territory and not just against occupied Ukrainian territories.

Already the head of the Ukrainian presidency, Andriy Yermak, has underlined that the imposition of sanctions against Iran is not enough and has asked for permission for Kiev to launch strikes deeper inside Russia.

The issue is not excluded to be discussed during the meeting of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer this Friday at the White House, when the two leaders will assess the Western strategy for Ukraine but and whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his new cabinet have a credible plan to win over Russia.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Russian armed forces are gaining ground in eastern Ukraine by seizing another town near the strategically important city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, while Kiev has launched a barrage of strikes against western Russia with 144 drones, some of which were reportedly shot down 38 kilometers south of the Kremlin.