Post-Starmer-Biden missile negotiations, no new commitment from Ukraine.
Following discussions with US President Joe Biden in Washington, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer did not indicate a decision regarding the authorization of Ukraine to employ long-range missiles to target locations within Russia.
Sir Keir stated that he and Vice President Biden had “a long and productive discussion on a number of fronts, including Ukraine, as you would expect, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific,” in response to a question about whether he had convinced Biden to authorize Ukraine to launch interceptor missiles into Russia.
“Deep concern about Iran and North Korea’s provision of lethal weapons to Russia” was another issue that the White House went on to mention.
Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, had earlier cautioned Western countries not to stand by while Ukraine fired missiles into Russian territory.
An action of this kind would constitute NATO’s “direct participation” in the conflict in Ukraine, according to Putin.
Biden told reporters, “I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin,” before meeting with Sir Keir at the White House.
The United States and the United Kingdom are afraid of escalating the situation, so they have not authorized Ukraine to employ long-range missiles against Russian targets.
To put an end to the conflict, however, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Kyiv’s Western friends to authorize such usage on multiple occasions.
Russia has been relentlessly bombing Ukrainian cities and military lines since February 2022, when it began its full-scale invasion of the country.
Russian planes from deep within Russia launch many of the missiles and glide bombs that attack Ukrainian military locations, apartment buildings, energy facilities, and hospitals.
The Ukrainian capital claims it is unable to defend itself since it is unable to strike the bases that launch these strikes.
Following Kyiv’s unexpected cross-border invasion last month, the UK earlier stated that Ukraine has a “clear right” to deploy weaponry provided by them for “self-defence,” adding that this “does not preclude operations inside Russia.”
On the other hand, this rules out the deployment of long-range Storm Shadow missiles outside the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine.
While the United States did supply Ukraine with long-range missiles early this year, they are not authorized for use against targets deep inside Russia, just like Kyiv’s other Western partners.
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Visual representations of Ukraine: Following the conflict with Russia
According to Sir Keir, “the quickest way to resolve” the situation in Ukraine “lies through what Putin actually does,” when asked if Putin’s threats of a potential confrontation with Nato intimidated him.
As Sir Keir put it, “not just a particular step or tactic” might be discussed during the White House discussion with Biden over the policy pertaining to Ukraine.
The Israel-Gaza conflict, which has been going on for almost a year, and “other areas across the world” were other topics of discussion during their meeting, according to Sir Keir.
Reporters will get another chance to hear his thoughts on the matter next week at the UN General Assembly, he assured them.
During an additional briefing on Friday, prior to the meeting between the two heads of state, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated that the US does not intend to modify the restrictions it has imposed on Ukraine’s use of US-made weaponry to attack Russian territory.
Moscow had earlier on Friday accused six British diplomats of espionage and removed their accreditation, leading to their expulsion.
The FSB, Russia’s secret police, issued a statement saying it had obtained evidence linking Britain to “a strategic defeat” dealt to Russia. The UK Foreign Office characterized the charges as “totally baseless” and rejected them.
British defense expert Justin Crump told the BBC that Putin was putting the incoming Labour government and the departing Biden administration to the test.
Russia is already involved in “active measures” including subversion, espionage, sabotage, and information/cyber operations against the interests of Nato members, and it sends weaponry to the UK’s enemies.
“This may all accelerate, but picking a fight against all of Nato is not something Russia can afford given how hard they’re struggling against just Ukraine,” said Mr. Crump.
