British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron will again ask US President Joe Biden to allow Kiev strike targets deep inside Russia with Western weapons, The Telegraph reported on Sunday.
The UK and France have donated a number of Storm Shadow/Scalp cruise missiles to Ukraine. The US, which provides some components for the European long-range weapons, has a say on how they are used. Biden has repeatedly rejected calls by Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to allow strikes deep inside Russia, which Moscow said would seriously escalate the conflict.
According to Telegraph sources, the leaders of the UK and France will make a “last ditch attempt” to secure a policy change by the outgoing US president to “thwart Donald Trump’s efforts to scale back US support for Ukraine.” The Republican politician will take office on January 20, after winning last week’s US presidential election.
”We are very keen to make sure we can make the most of the time between now and January 20 and not just put everything on hold until the next administration,” a senior Whitehall source told the British newspaper.
Trump claimed on the campaign trail that he could end the Ukraine conflict “in 24 hours” if elected for a second term. He reportedly intends to play hardball with both sides, forcing Kiev and Moscow to compromise.
Kiev claims that it could turn the tide on the battlefield by striking targets deep inside Russia with Western long-range weapons. At the weekend, it launched dozens of kamikaze drones at Moscow for the first time in months, but failed to cause any meaningful damage, according to Russian officials.
Western missiles are more powerful than Ukrainian drones and can produce better results, Zelensky has previously argued, explaining why he is seeking permission from donors for such strikes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that his government would treat any attacks along the lines envisioned by Kiev and its backers as coming from the state that provides the arms. Moscow will react to any such an escalation accordingly, he said.