Photo: Efrem Lukatsky Associated Press Ukraine’s Western allies have already supplied it with Patriot missile systems, as well as F-16 jets, such as those seen in this photo.
Published at 12:53 Updated at 4:00 p.m.
Tensions between Moscow and Ukraine’s Western allies rose again Friday as the leaders of the United States and Britain are set to discuss whether kyiv should be allowed to use long-range missiles against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday accused his allies of being “afraid” to discuss the possibility of shooting down Russian drones and missiles in Ukrainian skies themselves as his country faces a surge in airstrikes.
And he announced that he would meet with US President Joe Biden this month to present “a plan for victory” for Ukraine.
A green light for the use of Western long-range missiles against Russia is bound to be on the agenda of talks at the White House on Friday (20:30 GMT, 16:30 Eastern) between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Joe Biden, a visit made at the request of the Labour leader.
Washington has already warned that no big announcements are to be expected.
“Our position on the delivery of long-range strike capabilities to Ukraine, which could be used inside Russian territory, has not changed and I would not expect any big announcements on that coming out of the talks, certainly not from us,” said John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council.
Volodymyr Zelensky is demanding that his allies allow him to strike deep into Russian soil military targets deemed “legitimate,” such as air bases from which planes bombing Ukraine take off.
So far, the West has held its ground, led by the Americans, fearing that such a decision could be seen by Russia as an escalation.
Vladimir Putin repeated on Thursday that this green light would mean that “NATO countries are at war with Russia.”
“Russia started this conflict. […] It can end this conflict immediately,” Keir Starmer retorted, in comments made on the flight to Washington and reported by British media.
On Tuesday, Joe Biden had assured that the United States was “working” to allow Ukraine to use longer-range missiles against Russia.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000The heads of American and British diplomacy, Antony Blinken and David Lammy, made a rare joint visit to kyiv on Wednesday.
“We will adapt if necessary, including with regard to the means at Ukraine's disposal to defend itself effectively against Russian aggression,” the US Secretary of State said the following day in Poland.
Washington currently authorizes kyiv to strike only Russian targets in the occupied parts of Ukraine and some in Russian border regions directly linked to Moscow's combat operations.
According to British media, Joe Biden, who fears a nuclear conflict, is ready to authorize Ukraine to deploy British and French missiles using American technology, but not the American missiles themselves.
Against this backdrop of tensions, the Russian Security Service (FSB) announced on Friday that it had withdrawn the accreditation of six diplomats from the British embassy in Moscow, suspected of espionage.
“Totally unfounded” accusations, the British Foreign Office replied.
Lack of men and munitions compared to Russia, Ukraine has been on the defensive for a year now.
As the presidential election in the United States approaches on November 5, the clock is ticking for kyiv in the face of the possibility of a victory by Donald Trump.
During a debate this week against his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, the Republican candidate refused to say that he hoped kyiv would win the war. “I want the war to stop,” he simply said, while Kamala Harris promised to continue the current American policy of firm support for Ukraine.
On this visit to Washington, his second since taking office in July, Keir Starmer is also expected to discuss the Middle East with Joe Biden.
Last week, London announced the suspension of some 30 arms export licences to Israel, citing “a risk” that they would be used in violation of international humanitarian law in Gaza.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said Ukraine should be allowed to strike deep into Russia, despite threats from Moscow that this would directly implicate Canada and its NATO allies in the war.
Canada “fully supports Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons” to prevent Russian troops from striking hospitals and daycares, Trudeau said Friday.
He said Ukraine must be victorious in its fight against Russia or the invasion will embolden other major countries to try to absorb their neighbours. “Yes, we fully support the Ukrainians being able to strike inside Russia to degrade their military capabilities to continue killing civilians in Ukraine,” the prime minister told reporters at a news conference Friday in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, on Montreal’s West Island.
“Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine, invade a sovereign nation, a neighbour, because he didn't want Ukrainians to have the freedom to choose their own future. It's completely irresponsible, illegal and dangerous, and not just for Ukrainians, but for every country in the world if international law no longer holds,” Trudeau added.
“If a country with a larger army can choose to redraw the lines on a map at its own discretion, we're no longer in a world of stability, prosperity, opportunity: we would be in a world at war.”
The Canadian Press
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