Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday accused himself and his allies of being “afraid” of increasing the possibility of shooting down Russian drones and missiles themselves as his country faces an increase in airstrikes.
And he announced that he would meet with US President Joe Biden this month to present “a victory plan” for Ukraine.
The green light for the use of long-range Western missiles against Russia is on the agenda for talks at the White House on Friday (20:30 GMT) between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Joe Biden.
Volodymyr Zelensky is appealing to his allies to allow him to strike what he considers “legitimate” military targets deep inside Russian soil, such as the air bases from which planes bombing Ukraine take off.
So far, the West has backed off, fearing that such a decision could be seen by Russia as an escalation and that the latter would therefore consider them belligerents.
Vladimir Putin repeated on Thursday that this green light would mean that “NATO countries are at war against Russia” and “would change the very nature of the conflict”. The Russian president's statement “is extremely clear, unambiguous and does not contain any double meaning,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted on Friday.
“Defend yourself effectively”
“Russia started this conflict. […] She can put an immediate end to this conflict,” Keir Starmer retorted, according to comments made on a flight to Washington and reported by British media.
Tensions surrounding an expansion of Ukraine's use of Western weapons, long sought by Kiev, have crystallized in recent days. On Tuesday, Joe Biden assured that the United States is “working” to authorize Ukraine to use longer-range missiles against Russia.
US and British foreign ministers Antony Blinken and David Lammy made a rare joint visit to Kiev on Wednesday. “We will adapt if necessary, particularly with regard to the means available to Ukraine to defend itself effectively against Russian aggression,” the US secretary of state said in Poland the next day.
Currently, Washington allows Kiev to strike only Russian targets in occupied parts of Ukraine and some in regions bordering Russia directly related to Moscow's combat operations.
According to British media, Joe Biden, who fears a nuclear conflict, is ready to allow Ukraine to deploy British and French missiles using American technology, but not the American missiles themselves. In this context of tensions, the Russian security service (FSB) announced on Friday that it had withdrawn the accreditation of six diplomats from the British embassy in Moscow, suspected of espionage. “Totally unfounded” accusations, the British Foreign Office responded.
“Let the War Stop”
On the ground, the offensive launched in August by the Ukrainian army in the Russian Kursk region had the “expected results”, assured Volodymyr Zelensky, but admitted that “the road ahead is still long”. Short of men and ammunition compared to Russia, Ukraine was generally on the defensive for a year.
As the United States presidential election approaches on November 5, the clock is ticking for Kiev on the possibility of a victory for Donald Trump. During a debate this week against his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, the Republican candidate refused to say he hoped Kiev would win the war.
“I want the war to stop,” he said simply, while Kamala Harris vowed to continue the current US policy of strong support for Ukraine.
During this visit to Washington, his second since coming to power in July, Keir Starmer is also due to discuss the Middle East with Joe Biden. Last week, London announced the suspension of around thirty arms export licenses to Israel, citing the “risk” that they would be used in violation of international humanitarian law in Gaza.