Healey refuses to confirm missile reports and says Ukraine faces serious moment

Ukraine faces a “serious moment” successful its defence against the Russian invasion, Defence Secretary John Healey said arsenic helium refused to beryllium drawn into confirming reports the war-torn federation has launched British-supplied long-range missiles astatine its foe.

Russia’s subject said it has changeable down 2 British-made Storm Shadow missiles, pursuing reports that debris from the weapons had been discovered successful the country’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.

The Prime Minister has meantime insisted UK enactment for Ukraine is “always for self-defence”, arsenic helium accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of wanting “destruction not peace”.

Kyiv has meantime claimed Moscow has fired intercontinental ballistic missiles astatine 1 of its cities, the archetypal clip specified a limb has been utilized successful the war.

British ministers person avoided questions astir whether the UK has fixed support for Volodymyr Zelensky to occurrence its agelong scope missiles into Russian territory, aft President Joe Biden announced the United States had.

And astatine the archetypal league of the Commons Defence Committee this Parliament, Mr Healey proved nary exception.

Asked to corroborate reports Storm Shadow had been utilized by Ukraine, the Defence Secretary said: “I won’t beryllium drawn connected the operational details of the conflict.

“It risks some operational information and successful the extremity the lone 1 that benefits from specified a nationalist statement is President Putin.”

Battle lines successful Ukraine are present “less unchangeable than astatine immoderate clip since the aboriginal days of the afloat standard Russian invasion”, Mr Healey said, citing British intelligence.

“This is simply a superior infinitesimal that I travel earlier the committee,” helium told MPs.

Mr Healey added: “While the Ukrainian actions connected the battlefield talk for themselves, beryllium successful nary uncertainty that UK Government is stepping up our enactment for Ukraine, determined to proceed doubling down our enactment for Ukraine.”

Speaking astatine the aforesaid time, Sir Keir Starmer told the House of Commons the UK “will not beryllium deterred oregon distracted by reckless threats”, successful notation to Vladimir Putin lowering the threshold for utilizing his atomic arsenal.

This was wide seen arsenic a effect to Mr Biden’s announcement helium would springiness Ukraine support to usage US-made long-range ATACMS missiles.

Sir Keir besides told MPs: “We person consistently said we’ll bash what it takes to enactment Ukraine and enactment it successful the champion imaginable presumption going into the winter.

“The UK’s enactment for Ukraine is ever for self-defence, it is proportionate, co-ordinated, agile and a effect to Russia’s ain actions and it is successful accordance with planetary law.”