Ukraine has again urged the United Kingdom and United States to lift restrictions on using western weaponry against Russian targets. The appeal came during a visit by the British foreign secretary and US secretary of state.
Both David Lammy and Antony Blinken praised the “bravery” of Ukraine in resisting Russia’s invasion, and condemned Russian actions during a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.
But neither man would be drawn on granting Ukraine permission to use the long-range missiles supplied by the West to attack targets in Russia, a key request of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Earlier in the day, Mr Zelenskiy called for “some strong decisions on this” while Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal asked Mr Lammy for “help and support” in using long-range missiles “for strikes on the territory of our enemy”.
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During the evening press conference, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha repeated the request, saying it would “bring the just peace closer”.
Although neither Mr Blinken nor Mr Lammy agreed to Ukraine’s request on Wednesday, they said they had listened to Mr Zelenskiy and would report back to US president Joe Biden and UK prime minister Keir Starmer respectively.
The two leaders are due to meet in Washington on Friday to discuss support for Ukraine, with Mr Lammy suggesting such discussions could continue over the coming weeks ahead of the United Nations General Assembly meeting.
Mr Lammy said he and Mr Blinken had held “detailed conversations” with Mr Zelenskiy but would not go into detail during a press conference “because I am not prepared to give Putin the advantage”.
Concern about escalation has been one of the reasons why permission has not been given to Kyiv to use western long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia, but both men used the press conference to accuse Russia of having already escalated the conflict.
Mr Blinken said: “We’ve seen Russia now pursue and indeed escalate its attacks inside Ukraine, on civilians, on energy infrastructure, as well as on the Ukrainian military that’s defending its country.
“And we’ve now seen this action of Russia acquiring ballistic missiles from Iran, which will further empower their aggression in Ukraine. So if anyone is taking escalatory action, it would appear to be Mr Putin and Russia.”
Both men announced further financial support for Ukraine, including a £600 million (€710 million) package from the UK and $717 million (€650 million) from the US to meet immediate humanitarian, energy and stabilisation needs.
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The US package includes $325 million to support Ukraine’s energy needs, with Mr Blinken accusing Russia of “targeting Ukraine’s energy and electricity systems to weaponise the cold against the Ukrainian people”.
The UK package includes a reaffirmation of former prime minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge of £242 million, as well as $484 million worth of loan guarantees for World Bank lending before the end of the year.
The former will include aid to meet immediate humanitarian, energy and stabilisation needs, while the latter will help bolster Ukraine’s economic stability.
The loan guarantees are the second deployment of an overall pledge of $3 billion over three years.
Mr Lammy said: “The UK’s support to Ukraine is unwavering.
“Our commitment of over £600 million worth of support is the latest instalment in our enduring support to Ukraine.
“This will provide vital support to Ukrainians as they continue to endure relentless Russian attacks.
“It is a privilege to be one of the first to meet my new counterparts. The bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people is inspiring.
“Alongside the United States, we are committed to giving Ukraine what it needs to resist Russia’s illegal invasion.
“Their fight for freedom, liberty and democracy is also a fight for British security, European security and global security.
“With the US, we stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes.” – PA