Tensions rose again Friday between Moscow and Ukraine’s Western allies as US and British leaders are due to discuss whether kyiv should be allowed to use long-range missiles against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also accused his allies on Friday of being “afraid” to raise the possibility of shooting down Russian drones and missiles themselves, while his country is facing an increase in air attacks.
And he announced that he would meet with US President Joe Biden this month to present him with “a plan for victory” for Ukraine.
A green light for the use of Western long-range missiles against Russia is on the agenda for discussions at the White House on Friday (20:30 GMT, 16:30 Eastern) between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Joe Biden.
Volodymyr Zelensky is demanding that his allies allow him to strike deep into Russian soil military targets deemed “legitimate”, such as air bases from which planes take off to bomb Ukraine.
So far, the West has held back, fearing that such a decision could be seen by Russia as an escalation and that the latter would then consider them as belligerents.
Vladimir Putin reiterated on Thursday that the green light would mean that “NATO countries are at war with Russia” and “would change the very nature of the conflict.” The Russian president’s statement “is extremely clear, unambiguous and does not contain any double meaning,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted on Friday.
“Defend yourself effectively”
“Russia started this conflict. […] “She can end this conflict immediately,” retorted Keir Starmer, on a flight to Washington, according to comments reported by British media.
Tensions surrounding an extension of the use of Western weapons by Ukraine, long demanded by kyiv, have crystallized in recent days.
On Tuesday, Joe Biden assured that the United States was “working” to authorize Ukraine to use longer-range missiles against Russia.
US and British Foreign Ministers Antony Blinken and David Lammy made a rare joint visit to kyiv on Wednesday.
“We will adapt if necessary, particularly with regard to the means at Ukraine’s disposal to defend itself effectively against Russian aggression,” the US Secretary of State said the following day in Poland.
Washington currently allows kyiv to strike only Russian targets in occupied parts of Ukraine and some in Russian border regions directly linked to Moscow’s combat operations.
According to British media, Joe Biden, who fears a nuclear conflict, is ready to allow Ukraine to deploy British and French missiles using American technology, but not the American missiles themselves.
In this context of tensions, the Russian security service (FSB) announced on Friday that it had withdrawn the accreditation of six diplomats from the British embassy in Moscow, suspected of espionage.
The British Foreign Office said the accusations were “totally unfounded”.
“Let the war stop”
On the ground, the offensive launched in August by the Ukrainian army in the Russian region of Kursk had “the expected results”, assured Volodymyr Zelensky, recognizing however that “the road ahead is still long”.
Lacking men and ammunition compared to Russia, Ukraine has been on the defensive for a year now.
As the US presidential election approaches on November 5, the clock is ticking for kyiv in the face of the possibility of a Donald Trump victory.
In a debate this week with his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, the Republican candidate refused to say that he hoped kyiv would win the war. “I want the war to stop,” he said, while Harris promised to continue the current U.S. policy of strong support for Ukraine.
During this visit to Washington, his second since coming to power in July, Keir Starmer is also due to discuss the Middle East with Joe Biden.
Last week, London announced the suspension of around thirty arms export licences to Israel, citing “a risk” that they would be used in violation of international humanitarian law in Gaza.
Israel’s primary military supporter, the United States, has refused to criticize London’s decision. But according to the American media outlet Politico, Washington asked London what it would take to change its decision. The answer: a ceasefire in Gaza.