During the NATO summit, the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed that Ukraine could use the UK’s Storm Shadows cruise missiles to target military objectives within Russia, reaffirming the previous government’s policy on the use of long-range weapons in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
According to Bloomberg’s report on Wednesday, Starmer stated during his visit to Washington on Tuesday to attend the NATO summit that Ukraine would determine how to use the UK’s assistance with the Storm Shadows cruise missiles.
The new Prime Minister emphasized that the missiles “must be used in accordance with international humanitarian law” and reiterated that the Storm Shadows cruise missiles would be used for “defensive purposes.”
Bloomberg cited former NATO senior official and Deputy Research Director at the Chatham House Jamie Shea, saying that Starmer’s remarks provided a “shot in the arm” for Zelensky.
The Storm Shadows cruise missile is a precision-guided European-developed cruise missile with a range of over 250 kilometers (155 miles), involving collaboration from the UK, France, and Italy, hence its versatility.
Ukraine stated that for self-defense and repelling Russian attacks, it needs to target military objectives within Russia, which is also one of the main topics to be discussed at the NATO summit.
Some European countries, including the UK, expressed support for Ukraine’s position, but the US government has so far refused to lift all restrictions on Kyiv’s use of its weapons. The Biden administration stated that, to prevent the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it has not authorized Ukraine to launch deep strikes within Russian territory.
Meanwhile, President Biden pledged at the NATO summit in Washington that the US would continue to assist Ukraine in resisting Russian invasion.
Before his first overseas visit as a leader, Starmer also called on NATO member countries to increase defense spending.
Downing Street stated that Starmer would attend the NATO summit held in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday, where he would inform other NATO leaders that “increasing defense spending can safeguard the alliance’s future.”
Currently, the UK’s defense spending accounts for approximately 2.3% of GDP. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised earlier this year that by 2030, this ratio would increase to 2.5%.
The new government has not yet determined when to raise defense spending to this percentage. Luke Pollard, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Defense, told Sky News on Wednesday that the Defense Review report to be released next week is the first step to achieve this goal.