The UK has already decided to allow Ukraine to use Storm Shadow cruise missiles in Russia. However, this will not be announced publicly, The Guardian reports, citing sources in the British government.
On Friday, 13 September, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden are scheduled to meet in Washington, DC.
The two leaders plan to discuss the war in Ukraine and ways to end it.
The publication's sources noted that the joint visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy to Kyiv to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy would not have taken place if a positive decision had not been made on Storm Shadow.
It is also likely that restrictions on Ukraine's use of missiles with a range of at least more than 300 km will continue to apply to avoid unnecessary attacks.
In addition, Secretary of State Blinken hinted that the White House is also going to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range weapons against military targets in Russia.
At the press conference with Lemmy, Blinken said that the US has been ready to adapt its policy to the changing situation on the battlefield in Ukraine "from day one" and will continue to do so.
The secretary of state said that he and Lemmy would report to their superiors after visiting Ukraine.
- In July of this year, The Telegraph reported that the UK Ministry of Defence was forced to clarify that Ukraine had not received permission to use Storm Shadows for strikes inside Russia.
- This clarification followed a statement made by Keir Starmer on the way to the NATO summit in Washington. He said that Ukraine could use British Storm Shadow missiles to strike military targets in Russia.
- The British government has only allowed Kyiv to launch the missiles at targets in Crimea and mainland Ukraine since they were delivered last year, but has banned the country from using them to hit targets in Russia.
- Meanwhile, in the West, a number of countries are advocating for Kyiv's key partners to allow the use of long-range weapons in Russia.