Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the West that Ukraine using long-range missiles would be seen as a serious escalation of the war, while UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has stated that Russia can end the conflict “straight away”.
Putin told Russian state television, “If Western missiles are fired into Russia, it would mean nothing other than the direct participation of Nato countries – the US and European countries – in the war in Ukraine.”
In response, Sir Keir Starmer said, “Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia can end this conflict straight away… To reiterate, it was Russia who started this in the first place. They caused the conflict, they’re the ones who are acting unlawfully.”
The UK Prime Minister is in Washington for talks with US President Joe Biden, as allies of Kyiv discuss giving Ukraine permission to fire Western missiles at targets inside Russia. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said, “This clearly changes the debate” on the issue.
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Putin also stated, “The Ukrainian army is not able to strike with modern, high-precision, long-range systems. It can’t do this… It is only possible with intelligence data from satellites that Ukraine doesn’t have, data that’s only from satellites of the European Union, the USA, Nato satellites.”
Sir Keir Starmer emphasized, “There are really important developments likely in the next few weeks and months, both in Ukraine and the Middle East, and therefore a number of tactical decisions ought to be taken.”
The situation remains tense, with Western states cautious about allowing Ukraine to use their missiles against Russia, fearing it could draw them directly into the conflict.