Sir Keir Starmer has told the Ukrainian president that British missiles can be used for defensive strikes against targets inside Russia.
The announcement came as the new British prime minister met Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Washington DC on Wednesday.
The decision over the Storm Shadow missiles, which has been welcomed by Ukraine, represents a hawkish shift in policy from the stance taken by the former Conservative government.
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In a post on X after the meeting with Sir Keir, President Zelenskyy said: "This morning, I learned about the permission to use Storm Shadow missiles against military targets in Russian territory.
“Today we had the opportunity to discuss the practical implementation of this decision. I’m grateful to the UK for its unwavering support for Ukraine and our people.”
However, reacting to the news, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said: “If this is so then, of course, this is another absolutely irresponsible step towards escalating tensions and seriously escalating the situation.”
Dimitry Peskov told Reuters: “We will be watching this very thoroughly and respond accordingly.”
Not really. Not for the practical purpose during the war. All logistical centres, transport hubs, military airports are legitimate targets.
They are, but they have to be much more black/white with their targeting. The front line battlefield is in Ukraine and on the battlefield targeting is largely “anything goes”. Striking behind the front line risks far more civilian casualties.
So far I think Ukraine is doing a good job of picking legitimate targets. There’s been the odd Intercepted attack that has put people at risk with debris, but I believe the collateral damage in Russia is very low.