Starmer suggests Ukraine may use British Storm Shadow missiles for attacks inside Russia

Get the free Morning Headlines email with news from our reporters around the world

Sign up for our free Morning Headlines email newsletter

Keir Starmer has suggested that Ukraine could use British Storm Shadow missiles to attack military targets in Russia – a move likely to anger Moscow.

Earlier, at the NATO summit in Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Britain for lifting the ban on using these missiles for cross-border attacks.

While the Prime Minister stressed that the use of missiles must be in line with international humanitarian law, he also stated that the decision on how to deploy them rests with Ukraine.

Storm Shadows should be used “for defensive purposes,” he said. “But it is Ukraine’s decision how to use the weapon for those defensive purposes.”

Mr Zelensky wrote on X: “This morning I learned about the permission to use Storm Shadow missiles against military targets on Russian territory. Today we had the opportunity to discuss the practical implementation of this decision.”

This intervention by Mr Starmer is seen as a radical departure from Britain’s previously ambiguous stance on this issue.

Storm Shadows – precision-guided long-range cruise missiles with a range of over 250 km – have been used by the British and French air forces in the Gulf, Iraq and Libya.

The UK confirmed in May last year that it would supply Storm Shadows to Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Defense Secretary John Healey approved Kiev’s use of Storm Shadow missiles for attacks inside Russia.

Mr Healey reiterated Britain’s commitment to helping Ukraine fight Russian forces, but did not discuss “operational arrangements”.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said in response to the news: “If that is the case, then of course this is another absolutely irresponsible step towards an escalation of tensions and a serious escalation of the situation.”

“We will monitor this very closely and react accordingly,” said Dmitry Peskov. ^ “Reuters”.

Meanwhile, at the summit in Washington, NATO members declared that they would continue to support Ukraine “on its irreversible path towards full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership.”

“Ukraine’s future lies in NATO,” the alliance said in a statement.

Dan Jarvis, Britain’s new security minister, said Britain must be “incredibly careful” to avoid retaliation from the Kremlin.