Zelenskyy urges UK to help it strike Russia – DW – 07/19/2024

In an address to a British cabinet meeting, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Britain’s new government to allow Ukrainian forces to strike deeper into Russia to stop deadly missile attacks on his country.

“I ask you to show your leadership” in lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western weapons to strike inside Russia, Zelenskyy told Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The key to Ukraine’s defense, Zelenskyy said, is “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 has recently launched massive missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, killing dozens 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 because of concerns that the West could be drawn into direct conflict with Russia.

The UK government has avoided explicitly backing such a move, saying that it was for Kyiv to decide how it chooses to deploy its resources as long as international law is upheld. 

Meanwhile, Starmer said Britain would “double down” on support for Ukraine, including a deal to help both countries ramp up military production. The UK is also set to give Ukraine access to 3.5 billion pounds (€4.15 or $4.5 billion) of export financing to buy new weapons.

dh/rm (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)