BRITAIN will not be cowed by Vladimir Putin’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
The Prime Minister yesterday rebuffed the Kremlin’s scare tactics as he gave the strongest signal yet that Kyiv would be allowed to fire UK-made ballistic missiles into Russia.
EPABritain will not be cowed by Putin’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, said Sir Keir Starmer[/caption]
GettyUkraine’s Sumy Oblast hit by Russia[/caption]
APPutin signed a new doctrine to lower the bar for launching a first nuclear strike[/caption]
Asked at the G20 summit in Brazil whether Brits should prepare for a nuclear war, he said: “This is irresponsible rhetoric coming from Russia and that is not going to deter our support for Ukraine.
As the conflict reached its 1,000th day, Putin yesterday signed a new doctrine to lower the bar for launching a first strike — saying it could be triggered by an attack from a non-nuclear state backed by a nuclear power.
Almost simultaneously, Ukrainian media reported the first use of American-made ATACMS missiles on Russian territory.
Ukraine’s military did not comment on the use of the weapons, but took responsibility for a blaze at a weapons depot in the city of Karachev, Bryansk, 70 miles over the border.
The Kremlin claimed Ukraine had fired six ATACMS, stating they caused no serious damage.
The missiles, which have a range of 186 miles and are difficult to intercept, give Kyiv the ability to strike deeper into Russia.
They could be used around the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces hold almost 400 square miles of territory and are expecting a Russian counter-offensive.
Asked about letting Ukraine use UK-made Storm Shadow missiles, Sir Keir said: “I’ve been doubling down in my clear message that we need to ensure Ukraine has what is needed for as long as needed to win this war against Putin.”
“I am not going to go into operational details. You would not expect me to. The only winner in that would be Putin and it would undermine Ukraine.
“The single simplest way to end this conflict is for Russia to stop the aggression and to stop it today. We are on day 1,000 of that aggression.”
Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard confirmed that talks were live about unleashing Storm Shadow missiles at Russia.
Speaking at an Army base where British troops are training Ukrainians, he said: “Putin’s threats are designed to put us off from our support for Ukraine.
“They’re designed to weaken our resolve, and we are showing strong resolve in return.”
Asked if Britain would give Kyiv a green light to fire Storm Shadow missiles at Russia, he said: “It’s a live situation and for operational security reasons you will appreciate why I can’t comment.
“We’ll continue to provide the equipment they need.”
ReutersThe PM said: ‘I’ve been doubling down in my clear message that we need to ensure Ukraine has what is needed’[/caption]