Starmer pushes long-range missile aid for Ukraine

AFP | London

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting in London yesterday that there was more that Western allies could do to bolster Kyiv’s long-range missile capability.

Starmer hosted Zelensky at his Downing Street residence ahead of an in-person and virtual get-together of Ukraine’s key backers in the UK capital.

“I think there’s further we can do on capability, particularly... long-range capability, and of course, the vital work for coalition of the willing when it comes to the security guarantees that are necessary,” the UK leader said.

Kyiv’s Western allies have raised pressure on Moscow as the war enters its fourth winter, with the United States and European Union both announcing new sanctions this week on Russian energy aimed at crippling its war economy.

EU leaders also took steps towards funding Ukraine’s defence for another two years, although they stopped short of greenlighting a mammoth “reparations loan” backed by frozen Russian assets.

Starmer hugged Zelensky as the Ukrainian president arrived in Downing Street for initial oneto-one discussions ahead of the so-called “coalition of the willing” meeting, telling him this week had seen “huge steps forward”.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the Netherlands’ Dick Schoof were set to attend the London summit, with other leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron joining virtually.

Earlier yesterday Zelensky held after another meeting with Britain’s King Charles III -- their third this year.

The Ukrainian national anthem played at the almost 1,000-year-old Windsor Castle west of London before he had an audience with the king.

‘Reparations loan’

The latest diplomatic activity followed Zelensky’s visit to Washington last week, when President Donald Trump rebuffed his pleas for long-range Tomahawks to hit targets deep inside Russia.

The nearly four-year war continues to grind on despite US and European efforts to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, with Moscow battering Ukraine’s energy grid this week in deadly drone and missile attacks.