- author, Kate Whannell
- role, Political reporter
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on Sir Keir Starmer to “show leadership” by helping to remove restrictions on how Ukraine can use weapons supplied by Western allies.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Downing Street, Zelenskiy said attacks on Russian territory would help prevent attacks on residential areas in Ukraine.
Pressed earlier on the issue, Defence Secretary John Healey said Britain’s arms supplies to Ukraine “would not prevent attacks on Russian targets”.
But, he added, “It must be done by Ukrainians and it must be done within the standards and scope of international humanitarian law.”
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the UK was having an “intense debate” about “complex issues”, but said he would not go into details publicly.
During his visit to Downing Street, President Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the British government for its continued support, which he said would lead to an end to the war with Russia.
He was greeted with a standing ovation by senior ministers on his arrival in the Cabinet Room.
It will be the first time a foreign leader has addressed a cabinet member in person since U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1997.
Sir Keir promised to “redouble” support for Ukraine and told Mr Zelenskiy that “the political commitment to support Ukraine lies not only in parliament but in the whole country”.
He also said he had accepted an invitation to visit Ukraine in the future.
June, Ukraine Permission was granted It will give Russia the power to use Western weapons to attack targets inside Russia; previously it was only allowed to attack occupied territories inside Ukraine.
However, the license does not apply to long-range weapons that could be used to attack military bases inside Russia.
This means Ukraine will be limited to attacking targets near its borders.
Earlier this month, Russia launched a series of missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, including one that hit a children’s hospital in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev.
Zelenskiy told senior officials at a cabinet meeting that Russian President Vladimir Putin “must pay a price” for his “disregard for human life.”
“How do we ensure this? Right now we don’t have a key answer to that question, and that is our long-range capability.”
“Please demonstrate leadership in this regard and persuade other partners to also lift restrictions.
“This step will force Russia to seek peace.”
During his visit to No. 10, President Zelensky signed a defence export support treaty aimed at helping Ukrainian and British defence companies invest in further military capabilities.
This follows a meeting of the European Political Community at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire on Thursday, where European leaders agreed to tackle the so-called “Shadow Fleet” of 600 tankers evading sanctions on Russian oil.
The ships are carrying about 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, and some are suspected of transporting weapons to Russia or acting as Russian eavesdropping bases.
