UK insists support for Ukraine is ‘unwavering’

The Ukrainian president has previously urged the British government to let him use long-range Storm Shadow missiles, provided by the UK, against targets inside Russia.

On Saturday he reiterated this call saying: “It is crucial that our partners remove barriers that hinder us from weakening Russian positions in the way this war demands.

“Long-range capabilities are the answer to the most critical strategic questions of this war.”

He added that throughout the war, which started in 2022, the UK had “demonstrated leadership” in its support for Ukraine.

However, he added: “Unfortunately, the situation has slowed down recently. We will discuss how to fix this because long-range capabilities are vital for us.”

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK has been one of the country’s leading donors, pledging £12.5bn, including £7.6bn for military assistance.

The UK has previously said Ukraine has a “clear right” to use UK-provided weapons for “self defence” and that “does not preclude operations inside Russia”.

The stance means anti-tank missiles, artillery and armoured vehicles can be used as part of Ukraine’s offensive in Russia.

However, there is still an exception for the use of Storm Shadow missiles, which were supplied on the understanding they would not be used for targets inside Russia.

Storm Shadow missiles have a range of more than 150 miles meaning Ukrainian pilots can use them while staying away from the front line of the conflict.

So far, Ukraine’s other Western allies have also avoided giving Kyiv the green light to use their long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia.