Zelenskyy urges UK PM to 'show leadership' and lift ban on strikes deep into Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appealed to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for assistance in enabling Ukraine to use Western long-range weapons for strikes deep into Russia.
As reported by The Guardian, Zelenskyy said at an extraordinary meeting of the UK Cabinet that lifting the restrictions on the use of Western weapons would help Kyiv strengthen its defence and destroy weapons depots in Russia.
Discussing the issue of long-range weapons, Zelenskyy noted that "we are still missing the main answer to this question."
"I ask you to show your leadership [on this matter]," he said to Starmer.
He added that the ability to use Western weapons to strike Russian territory is crucial for Ukraine's efforts to defend against Moscow's aggression.
The Ukrainian president is visiting an extraordinary meeting of the UK government on Friday.
David Lammy, UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, stated that London is considering Ukraine's request to use Storm Shadow cruise missiles against targets deep within Russian territory. He added that coordinated approval from three countries will be required for this.
Recently, the UK’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, said that it was Ukraine's call on how to use the Storm Shadow missiles provided by the UK, which some pundits have interpreted as permission to use these missiles to hit military targets inside Russia.
However, a subsequent statement from Downing Street indicated that the government's policy on Ukraine's use of provided long-range weapons "had not changed."