Long-range missile deal means war, Putin warns

Vladimir Putin has warned Britain and the US against allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike targets in Russia.

A Ukrainian multiple rocket launcher in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Picture: Getty Images

President Putin has warned Britain and the US that they will be “at war” with Russia if they allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike targets across the border.

Sir Keir Starmer and President Biden will hold talks today at the White House about letting Ukraine use British-made Storm Shadow missiles against targets in Russia. They are expected to reach an agreement within weeks after accusing Moscow of a “significant escalation” by buying more than 200 ballistic missiles from Iran for use against Ukraine.

Before the meeting, Putin told Russian state television that the move would “change the very nature of the conflict” in a “significant” way, forcing Moscow to respond.

“It would mean that NATO countries are at war with Russia,” he said. “We will take the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face.”

Starmer immediately dismissed his warning. “Russia started this conflict,” he said as he travelled to Washington. “Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia can end this conflict straight away. Ukraine has the right to self-defence, and obviously we’ve been absolutely fully supportive of Ukraine’s right to self-defence, providing training capabilities. But we don’t seek any conflict with Russia, that’s not our intention in the slightest. But they started this conflict, and Ukraine’s got a right to self-defence.”

Starmer and Biden are expected to discuss how to bring Putin’s invasion of Ukraine to an end. They will use the two-hour meeting to talk about a “long-term solution” to the war, as well as the conflict in Gaza.

The discussions represent a shift from the present policy of staying the course to one where there is some form of end to the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Picture: AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: AFP

The UK and US are expected to agree to allow Ukraine to use British-made long-range Storm Shadow missiles and their French equivalent, Scalp missiles, against targets in Russia. However, Biden may stop short of allowing Ukraine to use US-made ATACMS – ballistic missiles – in Russia, according to two sources, amid concern about Putin’s response. Starmer confirmed that today’s meeting would address the “nature of that capability” but refused to be drawn on details.

The prime minister said: “We will, of course, be talking about many things in the round, but this is not a sort of a series of individual decisions that we want to arrive at. It is making sure that all the decisions we made are within the strategic context.”

The talks follow what Downing Street described as a “significant escalation” by Moscow, after it received more than 200 Fath-360 ballistic missiles from Iran, which the West fears will bolster Putin’s capability to target Ukraine with precision.

An RAF Tornado GR4, which carries Storm Shadow stand-off missiles and Brimstone anti-armour missiles.

President Zelensky will present his “victory plan” next week to the UN general assembly, outlining how he intends to force Putin into retreat.

Starmer will be joined in Washington by David Lammy, the foreign secretary, as well as the national security adviser and the ambassador to the US as Britain attempts to persuade Biden to authorise Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles. The president is understood to have been more reluctant than Antony Blinken, his secretary of state.

A western official believed the talks would centre on “how do we use the remaining months of the Biden administration to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position by the end of the year”.

Britain hopes to give Zelensky a stronger hand before any future deal with Russia. Areas of discussion today are likely to include how to bring Putin to the table and whether Ukraine will accept a deal in which it cedes territory for peace.

If Biden decides to allow Ukraine to fire only British and French missiles in Russia then he may disappoint Kyiv. One Ukrainian military source said: “I think this war can’t be won or stopped by half measures … It’s not fair to buy time with human lives.”

The Times