ReutersUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrived in Kiev for a joint visit as Ukraine continues to demand the right to use US and British long-range missiles against Russia.
After their talks in London, the two men travelled together to the Ukrainian capital, where they are due to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has repeatedly called on Washington to ease restrictions on U.S.-supplied arms.
Blinken said one of their goals is to hear directly from “Ukrainian leaders about their objectives and what we can do to support their needs.”
Earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden said his administration was “considering” whether to lift the restrictions.
The policy will come under further scrutiny when British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer meets with President Biden at the White House on Friday.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmykhal thanked Mr Lammy for Britain’s military support for Ukraine during the war.
But he added: “We expect that long-range weapons will be available to attack enemy territory and we will get them. We look forward to your help and support in this matter.”
For now, the United States and Britain are not allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles against targets inside Russia, fearing an escalation of tensions.
The UK has provided Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles with a range of around 250 km, which so far have only been used against Russian targets in occupied Ukrainian territory.
But Ukrainian leaders say the missiles need to be targeted at airbases that Russian planes use to launch deadly glide bombs at Ukraine, often fired from deep inside Russian territory.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia would respond “appropriately” if the United States acknowledged a Ukrainian missile attack on Russian territory.
Asked by reporters on Tuesday whether the U.S. would lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons, President Biden said his administration was “currently considering it.”
Earlier this year, the United States relaxed some of the restrictions, allowing long-range missiles to be used to strike areas along the Russian border that are being shelled by Ukrainian forces.
Kiev’s other allies have also supplied long-range weaponry but are subject to restrictions on how and when they can be used inside Russia out of fear that such an attack could invite retaliation and draw NATO countries into war or even spark a nuclear conflict.
During a visit to Britain ahead of his trip to Kiev, Blinken accused Iran of supplying Russia with short-range ballistic missiles that he said could be deployed to Ukraine within weeks. Lamy described Iran’s move as a “significant and dangerous escalation.”
The missile is expected to add to Russia’s arsenal, allowing Russia to deploy long-range missiles deep inside Ukrainian territory while also attacking Ukrainian cities close to the border and areas it already controls.
Iran has repeatedly denied having supplied such self-guided weapons to Russia.
On Tuesday, the United States, Britain, France and Germany each imposed new sanctions on Iran for supplying ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine.
The measures include restricting national carrier IranAir’s flights to Britain and Europe, as well as travel bans and asset freezes against several Iranians accused of supporting military aid to Russia.
Additional reporting by Thomas Mackintosh in London.
