Ukraine must be in strongest possible position, says No 10 after US missile move

Ukraine indispensable beryllium successful the “strongest imaginable position” to support itself, Downing Street has said erstwhile asked whether Britain would travel the US successful granting Kyiv support to onslaught targets successful Russia with allied weapons.

Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine to usage US-supplied weapons to onslaught sites successful Russia aft months of unit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

No 10 would not beryllium drawn connected whether the UK would travel suit, but did not regularisation retired allowing Kyiv to usage British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.

Our enactment successful Ukraine is ironclad and volition proceed connected that basis. But arsenic to the specifics of the enactment that we supply … we won’t get into speculation oregon a commentary connected operational discussions

Downing Street spokeswoman

The UK Government has been reluctant to springiness Ukraine support without a displacement successful US policy, successful portion due to the fact that the missiles usage American navigation data.

The outgoing US president’s determination could spot long-range missiles utilized initially successful the Kursk region, wherever Ukrainian troops person launched an incursion into Russian territory and President Vladimir Putin has bolstered his defences with troops from North Korea.

Downing Street said the UK Government wanted to enactment Ukraine successful the “strongest imaginable presumption going into the wintertime to support its sovereign territory”.

The UK volition “double down” to guarantee Ukraine is “provided with the enactment that it needs for arsenic agelong arsenic it needs”, a No 10 spokeswoman said, though she refused to accidental whether that would see allowing Storm Shadow missiles to beryllium fired astatine targets successful Russia.

“Our enactment successful Ukraine is ironclad and volition proceed connected that basis. But arsenic to the specifics of the enactment that we supply … we won’t get into speculation oregon a commentary connected operational discussions.

“It besides remains the lawsuit that nary warfare was ever won with 1 azygous portion of kit,” she said.

No 10 besides suggested that publically announcing a alteration successful the UK’s presumption “would lone service to payment Putin during an ongoing amerciable war”.

Asked if it was just to accidental the UK would enactment successful lockstep with the US, the spokeswoman replied: “It has ever been the lawsuit we enactment intimately with our allies and prosecute to guarantee that strategically we are providing the enactment that Ukraine needs, and we bash that successful consultation some with Ukraine and with each different arsenic allies.”

Mr Zelensky has been lobbying occidental allies for support to onslaught targets successful Russian territory, arguing that helium is efficaciously being forced to combat with his hands tied due to the fact that helium cannot deed the bases Mr Putin is utilizing to motorboat aerial attacks against his country.

Mr Zelensky said “long-range capabilities” are a cardinal portion of his “victory plan”.

But Moscow said the determination would alteration the quality of occidental engagement successful the conflict.

According to Russia’s Tass quality agency, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “If specified a determination has so been formulated and communicated to the Kyiv regime, past of people this is simply a qualitatively caller circular of escalation of tensions and a qualitatively caller concern successful presumption of the engagement of the United States successful this conflict.”

Sir Keir Starmer told reporters travelling to the G20 acme successful Brazil that enactment for Ukraine was “top” of his docket astatine the gathering of satellite leaders.

Mr Biden volition beryllium astatine the summit, portion Russia volition beryllium represented by overseas curate Sergei Lavrov.

The alteration successful the last months of the Biden medication comes arsenic Kyiv and occidental allies brace for a imaginable alteration of US stance nether Donald Trump, who has said helium could extremity the warfare “in a day”.

Earlier this week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke to Mr Putin successful what was the Russian leader’s archetypal publically announced speech with the sitting caput of a large occidental powerfulness successful astir 2 years.

Asked if helium had immoderate plans to marque a akin call, Sir Keir said: “It’s a substance for Chancellor Scholz who helium speaks to. I person nary plans to talk to Putin.”