US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his British government counterpart arrived in Kiev on Wednesday morning for talks with President Zelenskyy in what are widely reported to be talks about the deployment of long-range missiles against targets deep inside Russian territory.
Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken and newly appointed British Foreign Secretary David Lammy traveled from London to Kyiv by plane and train overnight starting Wednesday morning for a day of talks with senior Ukrainian politicians. The Ukrainian prime minister welcomed the two foreign ministers, setting the tone for talks that were already widely reported to focus on whether the United States would be allowed to launch full strikes on targets inside Russia.
“We have access to long-range weapons for attacks on enemy territory and we look forward to acquiring them. We look forward to your cooperation and support in this matter,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhali said this morning during a meeting with two Western envoys. Ukraine's new Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha also touched on the subject today after speaking separately with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, saying he “reiterated” Ukraine's position that “it is necessary to be able to use available weapons without restrictions against legitimate Russian military targets.”
While the Ukraine war has to some extent been a process of setting “red lines” that Kiev’s Western backers consider to be appropriate and non-escalatory levels of support, and then, after months of deliberation, going ahead with any further support anyway, one area has remained sacred: the use of long-range missiles. Several advanced weapons systems have already been donated, such as the British and French Storm Shadow/Scalp and the US ATACAMS, with ranges of around 150 and 190 miles respectively, but they are restricted to use only against Russian targets inside Ukraine, or at best against Russian targets near the border.
But Russia has been attacking Ukraine for months with long-range air-launched glide bombs, launching these attacks from airfields deep inside Russian territory and out of Ukrainian reach. Kiev argues that being able to use these long-range missiles, which it already has, to destroy Russian air bases where bomb-laden aircraft are still on the ground is vital to its survival.
For Mr. Blinken and Mr. Lammy, today's trip appears to depend on whether restrictions are lifted. Reported by TelegraphBlinken said ahead of the trip that the purpose of the trip was “to enable us to make the best assessment of what is needed,” information that will be conveyed when Biden meets with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Friday.
It was probably a decision for a long-range attack. Even if there are threats Russia would then express concern that it might use nuclear weapons if its country was threatened by weapons provided by Western countries.
Also on the agenda this week are Western accusations that Iran has begun supplying Russia with ballistic missiles. Europe says it has evidence of this, and Mr Blinken called the missiles' arrival a “threat to European and global security.” Mr Lamy called it a “further escalation” and said measures would be taken against Iran, including sanctions and abandoning bilateral agreements.
Today's visit by Mr Blinken and Mr Lammy to Kiev, and a planned meeting on Friday between Mr Biden and Mr Starmer, is over a wider discussion of whether to approve missiles donated by the US and UK for Ukraine to launch long-range strikes on Russia, but this has not been ignored by Moscow, which has denounced it as an “escalation” that would have consequences.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that any attack by Ukraine on Russian soil would be viewed as an attack by the US, as the US sees Ukraine as a puppet state that will only do as it is told. “No action by the Kiev regime can be taken without any form of recognition or support from the US and other Western allies… They [the US] “They live in a world of dark illusions of their own making, and they are haunted by them. One of them is the idea that a nuclear power like Russia could be defeated on the battlefield. This could end very badly for them, and for all those who turn a blind eye to this harsh reality.”
While there is much excitement about possible missile attacks, Ukraine in fact continues to strike targets deep inside Russia, albeit with less sophisticated and less powerful weapons. Reports yesterday said a major Ukrainian drone attack struck Moscow and several other Russian cities, killing at least one civilian. Russia claims to have intercepted 144 Ukrainian drones, but several others managed to penetrate defenses and damage buildings.
