LONDON (Reuters) – British Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged former defense ministers and a former prime minister to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles on Russian territory even without U.S. support, the Sunday Times reported on Saturday.
According to the Sunday Times, the call came from five former Conservative defense ministers – Grant Shapps, Ben Wallace, Gavin Williamson, Penny Mordaunt and Liam Fox – as well as former prime minister Boris Johnson.
They warned Starmer that “any delay would embolden President Putin,” the Sunday Times reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pleading with his allies for months to allow Ukraine to launch Western missiles, including long-range US ATACMS and British Storm Shadows, deep into Russia to limit Moscow’s offensive capabilities.
Starmer and US President Joe Biden held talks in Washington on Friday on whether to allow Kiev to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia. The decision has not been announced.
Some US officials are deeply skeptical that allowing the use of such missiles will make a significant difference in Kiev’s fight against the Russian invaders.
President Vladimir Putin has said that the West will fight Russia directly if it allows Ukraine to launch a strike with Western-made long-range missiles.
