The negotiations between US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer concluded without announcing a decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to hit targets on Russian territory. In addition, the Netherlands failed to send Patriot to Ukraine because of allies’ refusal.
British Starmer said they had a long and productive discussion on a number of areas, including Ukraine, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific region, but the negotiations regarding the use of the Storm Shadow long-range missile to hit targets in Russia did not lead to any decision.
To date, Washington and London have not permitted Ukraine to use long-range missiles against targets on Russian territory. Despite, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly appealed to Western allies to authorise the use, saying it is the only way to end the war. Ukraine claims the ban on striking the bases from which these attacks come undermines its ability to defend itself, as many of the missiles and planning bombs that target Ukrainian positions come from deep inside Russian territory.
The UK has previously said Ukraine’s right to use UK-provided weapons does not rule out operations on Russian territory, following the incursion into the Kursk Region by Kyiv across the border last month. However, this rules out the use of Storm Shadow long-range missiles in territory outside Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.
The US supplied Ukraine with long-range missiles earlier this year but, like Kyiv’s other Western allies, they have not been authorised for use against targets deep inside Russian territory. On the eve of the meeting between the two leaders, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Washington had no plans to make any changes to the restrictions imposed on Ukraine’s use of US-made weapons to strike Russian territory.
Talks did not go smoothly
The talks did not go smoothly. As Biden and Starmer were holding a key meeting at the White House in Washington, a Sky News correspondent pressed Biden about the threat from Vladimir Putin. The US president responded sharply:
I say you be quiet until I speak. Okay? That’s what I say. Good idea? You have got to be quiet. I am going to make a statement here, okay?
The statements by Putin came amid a statement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a recent visit to Kyiv hinting that Washington was considering lifting the restrictions. However, the White House denied this speculation, saying that it has no plans to announce any new policy regarding Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles.
No Patriots from the Netherlands
The Dutch Defence Ministry told parliament in late June the country and an unnamed ally would jointly supply Ukraine with a complete Patriot air defence system. However, the “ally” refused, and Kyiv will not receive the weapons.
In late May, the Defence Ministry announced its intention to supply Ukraine with the Patriot system, saying that the Netherlands already had “core components” ready, while the remaining components would come from other countries. A month later, the minister managed to find another country to co-operate in the donation. The defence ministry spokesman said that the ministry had “recently” received information that the mentioned commitment failed to come to fruition. However, the ministry did not specify which country it was referring to.
