British Storm Shadow missiles can be fired by Ukraine into Russia, Sir Keir Starmer has signalled in a major shift of policy likely to anger Moscow.
Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the Prime Minister at a Nato summit in Washington for lifting a ban on Ukraine hitting targets across the border with one of the most effective Western weapons donated since the war.
Mr Zelensky said: “This morning, I learned about the permission to use Storm Shadow missiles against military targets in Russian territory. Today, we had the opportunity to discuss the practical implementation of this decision.”
Earlier in the day Sir Keir had said it was up to Ukraine how it used the Storm Shadow missiles donated by the UK.
The missiles must “obviously be used in accordance with international humanitarian law as you would expect,” the Prime Minister added, stating his position that Storm Shadows were to be used “for defensive purposes”.
“But it is for Ukraine to decide how to deploy it for those defensive purposes,” he said.
The Kremlin has warned the UK against approving the use of long-range precision weapons to be fired into Russia.
Storm Shadows are precision-guided cruise missiles with a firing range in excess of 250 kilometres (155 miles).
Ukraine has said it needs to strike military targets inside Russia to defend itself and repel Russian attacks, and it’s one of the main issues that will be discussed at the Nato summit.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Britain’s chief of defence staff, had previously said Storm Shadows could only be used inside “Crimea and mainland Ukraine” much of which is occupied by Russia.
Ruben Brekelmans, the Dutch defence minister, on Wednesday said the discussions were focused on extending the distance weapons can be used and whether Kyiv has permission to use them to strike Russian aircraft before they mount attacks on Ukrainian territory.
Mr Zelensky urged his Western allies to put an end to “all limitations” placed on donated weapon systems in a speech on the fringes of the Nato summit in Washington.
A host of Western governments recently dropped restrictions on their munitions to allow Kyiv to use them in counter-strikes inside Russia to halt its offensive into the Kharkiv border region.
But this has not stopped Moscow’s air force from freely dropping glide bombs on Ukrainian cities from the relative safety of distances around 50 miles behind the frontier.
“Imagine how much we can achieve when all limitations are lifted,” Mr Zelensky said. “Similarly we can protect our cities from Russian glide bombs if American leadership makes a step forward and allows us to destroy Russian military aircraft on their bases.
“This will yield an instant result. And we are waiting for this step.”
There are hopes that the introduction of American-made F-16 fighter jets, armed with Amraam missiles, will be able to play a major role in limiting Russia’s aerial dominance, if granted permission to engage with Russian aircraft near the border.
The American missiles are said to have a range of about 75 miles, depending on the conditions during which they are fired.
“The F-16s will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer,” Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said on Wednesday.
The jets “are on their way, the transfers happen as we speak,” he added.
Dick Schoof, the Dutch prime minister, told Mr Zelensky he wouldn’t “put any limitations” on use of F-16s donated by his government, in a meeting at the summit in Washington on Wednesday.
His defence minister later told The Telegraph that there were discussions between members of the F-16 coalition to ensure the aircraft can be used to its full potential.
“The discussions now are about the range that those munitions can be used in Russia,” Mr Brekelmans said.
“I think that we should also have a discussion about... maybe we should, you know, not extend the range and that we should say Russian fighter jets – when they are operational from a longer distance – that it’s legitimate for Ukraine to target those aircraft.”
While Britain pledged any F-16s to Ukraine, its air-launched Storm Shadow missile will feature as part of the talks.
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