- Author, Kate Whannel
- Role, Political reporter
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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Sir Keir Starmer to “show your leadership” by helping to remove restrictions on how Ukraine can use weapons supplied by its western allies.
Addressing a meeting of the cabinet in Downing Street, Mr Zelensky said being able to hit Russian territory would help prevent attacks on residential areas in Ukraine.
Pressed on the subject earlier, Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK’s provision of weapons to Ukraine “does not preclude them hitting targets in Russia”.
However, he added that it “must be done by the Ukrainians and must be done within the parameters and the bounds of international humanitarian law”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the UK was having “intense discussions” on the “complex questions”, but said he would not go into the details in public.
During his visit to Downing Street, Mr Zelensky also thanked the British government for its ongoing support, which he said would help bring an end to the war with Russia.
He was greeted to the cabinet room with a standing ovation from senior ministers.
It was the first time a foreign leader has addressed the cabinet in person since US President Bill Clinton in 1997.
Sir Keir promised to “double down” on support for Ukraine and told Mr Zelensky the “political resolve to stand with Ukraine was not just in Parliament, but across this country”.
He also said he had accepted an invitation to visit Ukraine in the future.
In June, Ukraine was given permission to use Western weapons to hit targets inside Russia. Previously it had only been allowed to target occupied territories inside Ukraine.
However, the permission does not extend to long-range weapons, which could be used to hit military bases well inside Russia.
That means Ukraine is restricted to hitting targets near its border.
Earlier this month, a children’s hospital in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv was hit after Russia launched a wave of missile strikes against Ukrainian cities.
During the cabinet meeting, Mr Zelensky told senior ministers that Russian President Vladimir Putin “must pay” for his “disregard for human life”.
“How can we ensure this? Right now we are missing the main answer to this question – that is our long-range capability.
“Show your leadership in this and please convince other partners to remove the limits.
“We need this step – that will force Russia to seek peace.”
During his visit to No 10, Mr Zelensky signed a defence export support treaty aimed at helping Ukrainian and UK defence companies to invest in further military capabilities.
It followed Thursday’s meeting of the European Political Community at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, where the continent’s leaders agreed to tackle Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” – 600 tankers evading sanctions on Russian oil.
The vessels carry around 1.7 million barrels of oil per day. Some are also believed to be transporting weapons to Russia or acting as Russian listening stations.
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