British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after talks with the United States (U.S.) President Joe Biden in Washington, did not signal any decision on allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to target targets inside Russia.
According to the BBC, when asked if he had convinced Biden to allow Ukraine to fire long-range Storm Shadow missiles at Russia, Starmer said they had “a long and productive discussion on a number of fronts, including Ukraine, as you would expect, the Middle East and Indo-Pacific”.
The White House also said they expressed “deep concern that Iran and North Korea are supplying Russia with lethal weapons.”
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Western countries not to allow Ukraine to fire long-range missiles at Russia. He stated that such a move would represent “direct participation” of NATO in the war in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters ahead of his meeting with Starmer at the White House, Biden said: “I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin.”
To date, the U.S. and the United Kingdom (UK) have not given Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles against targets inside Russia, for fear of escalation.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly urged Western allies to allow such use, saying it is the only way to end the war.
The UK has previously stated that Ukraine has a “clear right” to use weapons provided by Britain for “self-defense” which “does not exclude operations inside Russia”.
Starmer said the meeting with Biden was an opportunity to discuss strategy regarding Ukraine, “not just a specific step or tactic.”
They also discussed the situation in the Middle East, where the war between Israel and Gaza has been raging for almost a year, and “other areas around the world,” Starmer added.
