Ukraine has the right to use weapons provided by London to strike targets on Russian territory, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has declared, in an interview with Reuters on Thursday during a visit to Kiev.
Cameron, who oversaw the Libya invasion while UK Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016, met with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal and Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, promised London’s “unequivocal support” and annual military aid payments.
“We will give three billion pounds ($3.74 billion) every year for as long as is necessary. We’ve just really emptied all we can in terms of giving equipment,” Cameron told the outlet, noting that some of the British weapons earmarked for Ukraine would arrive in the country during his visit.
The foreign secretary claimed that precision-guided bombs, air defense missiles and equipment for 100 mobile air defense teams are among the weapons donated to Kiev.
Cameron stated that Ukraine has the “right” to use arms provided by London to strike targets inside Russia, if that’s how it wants to use them.
“Ukraine has that right. Just as Russia is striking inside Ukraine, you can quite understand why Ukraine feels the need to make sure it’s defending itself,” the diplomat said.
Shortly after publishing its original article, Reuters deleted the interview with Cameron’s statements, indicating that a “revision of certain details” in the text was underway.
Some, like Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, suggested that the revision may have had to do with the backlash caused by the diplomat’s statement regarding the use of British weapons. However, the article was later re-uploaded on Friday without any apparent visible changes.
The Foreign Secretary’s statement has been met with condemnation in Moscow. Zakharova suggested that London should prepare itself for the possibility that Kiev could eventually use the weapons it has received to attack the UK, “as was done by Western-raised Al Qaeda terrorists.”
Meanwhile, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has described Cameron’s words as “yet another very dangerous statement,” noting that there has been a noticeable verbal escalation on the part of Western officials.
“This is a direct escalation of tensions around the Ukrainian conflict, which could potentially pose a danger to European security, the entire European security architecture,” Peskov warned.