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.
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Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, says he is ready to sit at the negotiating table and talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin if that is the only way to bring peace to Ukraine.
However, Zelensky is careful to emphasize that he still considers Putin “an enemy” and “murderer”– but that the most important thing now is to end the war quickly.
In a lengthy interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, published this week, the Ukrainian president confirmed that he has abandoned his previous position of not giving up any territory to Russia and that the focus is now on ending the war.
– Today, we cannot reclaim all our territories. We are reasonable people. We cannot sacrifice millions of our people for an outcome that is uncertain.
He also states that he is ready to negotiate with Russia and Putin – something previously dismissed as unthinkable.
– If this is the only configuration in which we can bring peace to the citizens of Ukraine and not lose more lives, then, of course, we will proceed with a meeting involving these four parties (Ukraine, Russia, the US and Europe).
– Frankly, what difference does it make how I personally feel about him? (Putin) I still won’t regard him in a positive light. To be honest, I consider him an enemy. And, truthfully, I believe he sees me as an enemy as well. That’s all.
Demanding security guarantees
Zelensky claims Putin is “a murderer and a terrorist” but says he is ready to sit down at the negotiating table if his allies demand it.
– Talking to Putin at all – one conversation with this murderer – is already a compromise. Isn’t that true? I am convinced that engaging with him is already a compromise for the entire civilized world. Beyond that, everyone must stay strong, support Ukraine, strengthen Ukraine, and not betray Ukraine, he pleads.
Ukraine’s leaders point out that Donald Trump wants to see results and hopes that the active phase of the war can soon be over – but also emphasize that they want strong security guarantees to avoid a flare-up.
– Should we not think about our grandchildren? If the Russians decide to come back in 10 or 20 years, is that not a risk?
“NATO provides guarantees”
The solution, according to the President, is for Ukraine to be granted NATO membership very quickly– but that is not enough. Ukraine, with the help of its allies, must also build “the largest professional army in Europe”.
– NATO provides guarantees. It makes another Russian invasion highly unlikely. NATO is also a guarantee for NATO members themselves – Ukraine will strengthen the alliance with hundreds of thousands of highly trained troops, making NATO even stronger. That matters for everyone. And NATO is even a guarantee for Russians: it ensures that Ukraine, over time, will not wage war against them but will resolve all issues diplomatically.
NATO soldiers during an exercise. Photo: NATO/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
In practice, however, Ukraine’s membership of the US-led military pact is considered highly unlikely by many analysts – and in such a scenario, according to Zelensky, “a million-strong army – at a minimum” is needed. However, such an effort is seen as very costly.
“Give us nuclear weapons”
If Ukraine’s NATO membership remains a distant dream that is unlikely to materialize in the next few years, Zelensky suggests another solution – that Ukraine’s allies share their nuclear weapons with Kiev.
– What will protect us from this evil? All this time, or along this entire path, what support package will it be? What missiles? Will we get our nuclear weapons back? Let us get our nuclear weapons back, he demands.
When the Soviet Union fell, Ukraine inherited some 1,700 nuclear warheads, which however remained under Moscow’s operational control and which were also handed over to Russia in 1994 in exchange for security guarantees. It is these nuclear weapons that Zelensky now wants back and describes as “his”.
– Give us nuclear weapons back, give us strong missile systems, partners, help us fund a million-man army, and deploy your contingent to those parts of our country where we want the maximum stability, the president repeats.
Handing over Soviet nuclear weapons was a fatal mistake, says Zelensky. Photo: George Chernilevsky
“Deserves a just peace”
If Ukraine had not handed over Soviet nuclear weapons in the 1990s, Putin would never have dared to attack, according to Zelenskyj, who believes that this decision effectively left Ukraine completely unprotected – without receiving anything of value in return.
– Those were our security guarantees. Undoubtedly, it was because of them that he invaded. They should have been exchanged, and if we were to give up nuclear weapons, that could have been discussed. There was certainly such a policy in the world. But for what? It should have been exchanged for NATO, it should have been exchanged for NATO weapons. We didn’t even start receiving NATO weapons, honestly, until after the full-scale invasion.
The interview ends with Zelensky stressing that the focus now must be on not just ending the war – but ensuring it does not resume again.
– I believe it would be incredibly difficult for us to withstand another war if it were to return. That’s why I always emphasize the importance of security guarantees – guarantees strong enough to ensure that this man (Putin) never comes back. I simply don’t want the Ukrainian people to have to face another challenge like this.
– We deserve a just peace. And today, the timeline for these agreements, the strength of these agreements depend on President Trump. And they depend on us, on our dialogue, and on the pressure placed on Putin. I believe the sooner we do this, the happier people will be – everywhere.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky wants the West to provide Kiev with nuclear weapons and even more missiles “to stop Russia” if Ukraine is not granted membership of the NATO military pact very quickly.
British journalist Piers Morgan published an excerpt from an interview with Zelensky in which he asked the Ukrainian leader why Kiev refuses to provide any alternative to NATO membership for possible peace negotiations, when he knows that such a proposal is considered completely unacceptable to Moscow.
The Ukrainian president replied that if Kiev is prevented from joining the US-led bloc in the near future, Ukraine will have the right to ask its allies how to defend itself against Russia instead.
– Which support package? Which missiles? Will we be given nuclear weapons? Then let them give us nuclear weapons!
– Give us back nuclear arms. Give us missile systems. Partners, help us finance the one-million army, move your contingent on the parts of our state where we want the stability of the situation, he continued.
Ukrainian President Zelensky is now demanding that the West provide Ukraine with nuclear weapons.
Zelensky states that he wants the West to fully fund his nuclear ambitions to protect his country from Vladimir Putin’s ongoing threats.
In recent months, Mr. Zelensky has repeatedly expressed his regret that Ukraine had previously handed over Soviet nuclear weapons stationed on its soil in exchange for security guarantees. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine inherited some 1 700 nuclear warheads, which remained under Moscow’s operational control.
Russia has always maintained that Ukraine never had any nuclear weapons to begin with, as the Soviet assets legally belonged to Moscow.
– Zelensky’s latest statements that he wants to possess a nuclear capability expose him as a maniac, who considers the planet as an object for his sick delusions. They also prove that for him nuclear power stations are not a source of peaceful energy, but a dirty weapon that the Kiev regime needs for blackmail, comments Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, President Donald Trump declared that he wants a “deal” with Ukraine to gain access to the country’s rare metal resources for continued US support in its war against Russia.
Trump referred to the fact that the US has sent more military and economic aid to Ukraine than its European allies, adding, according to AP and Reuters.
– We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things, the US president explained.
Trump indicated that he has been told by the Ukrainian government that, among other things, they would be willing to give the US access to the minerals that are “critical to the modern high-tech economy”.
– We’re putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earth. And I want security of the rare earth, and they’re willing to do it.
“Going to stop that ridiculous war”
Trump has previously said he would bring an end to the war within 24 hours of taking office and insisted that talks are indeed underway to end the conflict, claims dismissed by Russian sources.
– We made a lot of progress on Russia, Ukraine, Trump said.
– We’ll see what happens. We’re going to stop that ridiculous war, the President continued.
Trump’s call for “compensation” has been met with criticism from other Western bloc countries, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, referring to a meeting with other EU leaders, saying that “it would be very selfish” and that such resources would be better used for the country’s post-war reconstruction.
The possibility of resuming Russian gas imports via pipelines could be part of a potential peace deal with Russia, according to the Financial Times.Proposals backed by Germany and Hungary, among others, would aim to lower energy prices in Europe while bringing Moscow to the negotiating table.
– There is pressure from some big member states on energy prices and this is one way to bring those down, of course, what is described as an anonymous EU official told the Financial Times.
The idea, meanwhile, is facing strong criticism in some quarters, including concerns in Brussels that a resumption of imports would increase Russia’s export revenues and counter previous efforts to reduce dependence on Russian energy.
From 40 to 10 percent
The EU’s direct gas imports from Russia have fallen dramatically since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. Before the war, Russian gas accounted for around 40% of the EU’s total gas supply, but in 2024 this share has dropped to around 10% as a result of sanctions, diversification of energy sources and the Nord Stream pipeline terror attack.
To compensate for the shortfall, the EU has increased imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), particularly from the United States and Norway, while imports of liquefied gas also from Russia have increased through gaps still left in the sanctions.
Overall, the situation has led to a sharp increase in energy prices in Europe and has had a very negative impact on the European economy, with the EU’s largest economy Germany, for example, experiencing economic contraction for two years in a row.
– In the end, everybody wants lower energy costs, said a senior EU official, according to the Financial Times.
Growing opposition
Some EU countries, such as Slovakia and Hungary, have expressed open concern about their energy supply, arguing that the political leadership in Ukraine has jeopardized their energy security by stopping gas transfers through the country from Russia.
In Germany, the leader of the opposition party Alternative for Germany, Alice Weidel, recently pledged to restart the Nord Stream project if the party comes to power.
