UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer remained non-committal on allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to target sites inside Russia after discussions with US President Joe Biden in Washington.
When asked if he had convinced Biden to approve Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow missiles against Russian targets, Sir Keir responded that they had a “long and productive discussion on a number of fronts, including Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific.”
The White House added that both leaders shared “deep concern” over Iran and North Korea supplying lethal weapons to Russia.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that permitting Ukraine to fire long-range missiles into Russia would amount to NATO’s “direct participation” in the Ukraine conflict.
Despite Putin’s threats, former UK Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that NATO should allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles, asserting that such hesitation only benefits Putin. “It’s frustrating that there’s another tug of war over military capabilities,” he said.
Kurt Volker, former US special representative for Ukraine negotiations, suggested that Putin’s warnings were intended to deter the West from acting, rather than signaling his actual intentions. Volker added that concerns over provoking Russia by allowing long-range missile use were exaggerated, claiming the US “overplays” the risk of escalation.
Ahead of his meeting with Sir Keir, President Biden told reporters, “I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin.”
So far, the US and UK have refrained from allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles inside Russian territory, fearing it could escalate the conflict. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly urged Western allies to authorize such measures, arguing it is essential to end the war.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian forces have bombarded Ukrainian cities and front lines daily. Many attacks originate from Russian bases deep inside its territory, making Ukraine’s inability to target these sites a significant hurdle in its self-defense efforts.
The UK has previously stated that Ukraine has a “clear right” to use British-supplied weapons for self-defense, which may include operations inside Russia. However, this does not extend to the use of long-range Storm Shadow missiles outside Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders.
