Britain’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, has given Ukraine permission to carry out “defensive strikes” against targets inside Russia using Britain’s Storm Shadow cruise missile.
The announcement came as he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the NATO summit in Washington.
Allowing Ukraine to use British weapons to attack Russian territory marks a shift in Britain’s approach to the war compared to the more cautious approach of the previous center-right government, and it is clear that British leaders intend to focus on further military escalation rather than diplomatic efforts and peace negotiations.
– will do all we can to help Ukraine in their fight to repel Putin’s invasion, promises newly appointed Defense Secretary John Healey.
– We provide weapons equipment where we can for them to defend themselves, and as we do for ourselves and any other nation in conflict, we require, because it’s international law, that war is conducted within those rules of the Geneva Convention.
I held my first meeting with the new UK Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer.
I thanked Prime Minister Starmer for all the UK’s military and financial assistance provided to our country. This morning, I learned about the permission to use Storm Shadow missiles against military targets… pic.twitter.com/zEHHpLh105
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 10, 2024
“Increases tensions”
The Ukrainian president welcomed the decision, saying he was “grateful to the UK for its unwavering support for Ukraine and our people”.
In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov calls the announcement “another absolutely irresponsible step towards escalating tensions and seriously escalating the situation”.
– We will be watching this very thoroughly and respond accordingly, he promises.