UK foreign secretary David Lammy has indicated that negotiations with the White House to allow Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia are ongoing, arguing it is a time for “nerve and guts.”
The apparent encouragement to Joe Biden comes just over a week after Lammy and Keir Starmer visited the US president in the White House but failed to resolve the sticking point between the two countries.
Lammy said the hardship and challenges of the war in Ukraine would get “deeper and harsher”, particularly heading into “the back end of 2025 into 2026” and beyond.
Lammy emphasised that Ukraine and its western allies were discussing “what more might be necessary” to help Kyiv on the battlefield beyond trying to hold the frontline, which is under acute pressure in the east.
He was not going to comment on operational details, because that can only aid Putin. There is a very real-time discussion across allies about how we can support Ukraine as we head into winter.
Ukraine’s President Voldymyr Zelenskyy called on Biden again on Saturday to allow Ukraine to carry out long-range strikes inside Russia. The issue remained unresolved despite Starmer lobbying Biden in person nine days ago.
The UK has donated Storm Shadow missiles from its stocks, but its European partners and the US need to give their permission for Ukraine to use them on Russian soil.
The weapons also rely on a US guidance system to evade Russian jamming, without which they risk being ineffective if launched.
