July 19, 2024
Ukrainian President Zelensky calls on UK to allow him to use weapons for strikes in Russia
In a speech at a British cabinet meeting, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the new British government to allow Ukrainian forces to strike deeper into Russia to end deadly missile attacks on his country.
“I ask you to show leadership” by lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western weapons to strike Russia, Zelensky told Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The key to Ukraine’s defense, Zelenskyy said, is the “long-range capability” to destroy sites where Russian weapons are concentrated.
Zelenskyy received a standing ovation from senior ministers as he became the first foreign leader to address the British cabinet in person since 1997.
Russia recently launched massive missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, killing dozens of people and hitting targets including a children’s hospital in kyiv.
But some of kyiv’s allies are reluctant to let Ukraine use their weapons to strike Russian territory, fearing that the West would be drawn into a direct conflict with Russia.
The British government has avoided explicitly supporting such a move, saying it was up to kyiv to decide how it chose to deploy its resources, as long as international law was respected.
At the same time, Mr Starmer said Britain would “redouble our efforts” to support Ukraine, including by striking a deal to help both countries increase their military production. The UK is also expected to give Ukraine access to £3.5 billion ($4.5 billion) in export finance to buy new weapons.
dh/rm (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)
