UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statement regarding Ukraine having free rein in using British-donated weapons against Russia has been described by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as “irresponsible and escalatory. The Labour leader confirmed last week that he would continue with the previous policy of supplying arms to Ukraine, a move initially taken by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Speaking at the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington DC, Starmer told Bloomberg news agency that “it is for Ukraine to decide how to deploy [them].” He emphasized that missiles must be used in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Peskov criticized Starmer’s statement as an “irresponsible move towards the escalation of tensions”, vowing that Moscow will “take measures accordingly. The Storm Shadow missile, developed by the United Kingdom and France, is air-launched with a range of over 250km. It was initially reported in May by UK’s defence secretary, Ben Wallace, that these weapons could be used to strike deep within Russia. However, conflicting reports have emerged from both Ukraine and NATO regarding this matter.
Ukrainian President, Vladimir Zelensky claimed in May that London never gave Kiev explicit permission for such strikes, disputing statements made by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. On the other hand, Yuri Sak, an adviser to Ukraine’s minister of strategic industries, stated at the time that Kiev had already conducted such strikes.
Russia’s military has reported stopping multiple attacks involving Storm Shadow missiles on Crimea, a region that Kiev and its backers claim is illegally occupied by Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow could retaliate to strikes with Western weapons deep inside Russia by delivering similar systems to the adversaries of countries that supplied them. This could lead to an outcome that no party would be happy about, according to Putin.
In conclusion, Starmer’s comment about Ukraine having the liberty to use UK-donated weapons as it sees fit has sparked concerns in Moscow and could escalate tensions between Russia and Ukraine further. The situation is complex, with conflicting reports from both sides adding to the uncertainty and potential for conflict.