The UK has not lifted restrictions on Ukraine using long-range missiles after Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit, Downing Street has said.
The Ukrainian president met Keir Starmer in No 10 on Thursday and reiterated his request to fire Storm Shadow missiles and other western-supplied weapons deep inside Russian territory.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly urged western powers including the UK to give Kyiv the green light to fire the weapons, which have a maximum range of about 250km (155 miles), at Russian military sites that are being used to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
The US and UK seemed poised to cede to Kyiv’s request last month before Starmer’s trip to Washington DC, where the prime minister held talks with the US president, Joe Biden. There was no change in position after the meeting between Starmer and Biden, however, and Downing Street indicated on Thursday that none was forthcoming.
The prime minister’s spokesperson told reporters that “no war has ever been won by a single weapon and there’s no change in the government’s policy on the use of long-range missiles”. They indicated that ministers were looking at other ways of supporting Ukraine. “These discussions aren’t focused on single pieces of equipment, they’re looking at strategic support for Ukraine,” they said. “Getting into more detail on operational matters would be a gift to Putin.”
Alongside Starmer, Zelenskyy met the new Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte. Rutte told reporters it was up to individual governments “to decide how weapons they deliver into Ukraine can be used” and echoed the line that “it will not be one weapon system which will make the change”.
He confirmed the use of long-range missiles had been discussed on Thursday. Asked if he sympathised with Ukraine’s complaints that it was having to fight with its hands tied behind its back, Rutte said: “Well, I think it is a bit more nuanced, because when you look at what the UK is doing, I think it is now £3bn a year you guys are providing Ukraine with this military aid, with training.
“The whole of the alliance is in this, and let’s not focus on one system, one weapon system, it will not be one weapon system which will make the change.”
Rutte added that there was no legal reason preventing the use of western-supplied weapons against targets within Russia.
Ukrainian officials have argued for months that the weapons are vital to weaken Russia’s ability to attack Ukraine and force it to move its strike capabilities further from the border. But Nato members led by the US are concerned about the prospect of a direct confrontation with Russia.
At the meeting on Thursday, Zelenskyy presented Starmer with his “victory plan” for the war. He had intended to deliver it to western leaders in Germany this week, but that summit was postponed after Biden pulled out to manage the domestic response to Hurricane Milton.
Zelenskyy said after the meeting that his victory plan “aims to create the right conditions for a just end to the war”.
Organisers of the summit in Germany have promised to reschedule but it is unclear whether it can take place before the US presidential election in November. A victory for Donald Trump, a military aid sceptic, could result in the US government withdrawing support from Kyiv.
Rutte said he was not concerned about the possibility of Trump returning to the White House. He said: “I’m not worried about that because I’m absolutely convinced that the US is in this because they understand it is not only for Ukraine, but also for them, and that from Washington to San Francisco, the whole of the US would be less secure if Putin would be successful in Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy visited Starmer in Downing Street days after his election victory in July. During that trip, the Ukrainian president became the first foreign leader to address the cabinet since Bill Clinton in 1997.
In a joint appearance with Rutte in Kyiv last week, Zelenskyy said western governments were “dragging out” deliveries of long-range weapons. “We need sufficient quantity and quality of weapons, including long-range weapons, that, in my opinion, our partners are already dragging out,” Zelenskyy said.