Ukrainian president Zelensky asks Keir Starmer to 'show your leadership' and let his forces use UK cruise missiles to strike hit targets in Russia as he addresses new Labour Cabinet in Downing Street
Volodymyr Zelensky demanded Keir Starmer show 'leadership' and unambiguously allow Ukraine to use UK-supplied cruise missiles to hit targets inside Russia today.
The Ukrainian president made the plea as he held talks with the PM and met the new Labour Cabinet in No10.
Mr Zelensky has said the ability to use western weapons to strike into Russian territory is important to Ukraine's efforts to defend itself against Moscow's aggression.
The UK Government has suggested the deployment of British missiles is ultimately a matter for Ukraine, as long as international law is upheld.
However this morning Defence Secretary John Healey said the rules surrounding use of the Storm Shadow weapons 'does not preclude them hitting targets in Russia' - saying it was up to Ukraine how they were used.
On long-range capability, the president said 'we are still missing the main answer to this question' and told the Prime Minister 'I ask you to show your leadership' on the issue.
Sir Keir said Ukraine had Britain's 'unshakeable support' and that Russia's aggression was 'unforgivable and cannot go unpunished'.
He said the UK will 'double down' on backing for Ukraine, and confirmed he had accepted this morning an invitation to visit Ukraine again in the future.
The Ukrainian president made the plea as he held talks with the PM and met the new Labour Cabinet in No10.
He was greeted by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with a warm hug and handshake outside No10, where he is due to become the first foreign leader to address Cabinet in person since 1997.
Earlier John Healey had said that the UK would continue to fund weapons for Ukraine until the end of the decade at least, and gave tacit approval for Storm Shadow cruise missiles to be used to hit targets within Russia itself.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We're providing weapons to Ukraine for their defence of their sovereign country. And that does not preclude them hitting targets in Russia.'
The two men greeted each other with a hug and handshake outside No10, before Mr Zelensky becoming the first foreign leader to address Cabinet in person since 1997.
It came after Mr Healey told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We're providing weapons to Ukraine for their defence of their sovereign country. And that does not preclude them hitting targets in Russia.
'But that must be done by the Ukrainians, it must be done within the parameters and the bounds of international humanitarian law.'
Asked whether Mr Zelensky can hit where Russian missiles are coming from, the Cabinet minister said 'these are complex questions' and that he would not 'discuss the details of those sorts of things in public'.
'We are continuing very intense discussions with the Ukrainians because we as a country want to do everything we can to support Ukraine's effort to fight for their freedom.'
Sir Keir said the visit to Downing Street was a 'very special moment'. He is the fourth UK PM that the president has dealt with his the invasion began in February 2022.
In a bilateral meeting the Prime Minister said the UK is 'united in our Parliament' in supporting Kyiv for as long as possible.
'It's a very special moment for us to reiterate our support for you and the Ukrainian people in the fight against Russian aggression and to have this opportunity to confirm again our resolve to stand with you, so thank you so much for accepting the invitation,' Sir Keir said.
The Ukrainian president will be the first official visitor to Downing Street under Sir Keir's premiership, and the first foreign leader to address the Cabinet in person since US president Bill Clinton in 1997.
The Ukrainian president will be the first official visitor to Downing Street under Sir Keir's premiership, and the first foreign leader to address the Cabinet in person since US president Bill Clinton in 1997.
Sir Keir is the fourth UK PM in office since Ukraine was invaded in February 2022
He is expected to brief ministers about the situation in Ukraine and the need to expand Europe's defence industrial base, as well as agreeing a £3.5 billion defence export finance deal with Sir Keir.
Speaking to the BBC ahead of the meeting, Mr Zelensky said he needed 'strong support' from Sir Keir and would push for permission to use British long-range missiles against targets in Russia, particularly locations from which Russian forces were attacking civilian targets in Ukraine.
During last week's Nato summit, Sir Keir suggested Ukraine would be able to use the missiles against Russian targets, but Downing Street later backtracked - saying Government policy on the use of the long-range Storm Shadow missiles had not changed.
President Zelensky's visit to Downing Street follows the European Political Community (EPC) summit at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, on Thursday, at which 44 countries and the EU agreed to target Russia's 'shadow fleet' of tankers seeking to evade sanctions on Russian oil.
The group of around 600 vessels carries 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, providing funds for Moscow's war effort while also allegedly acting as listening stations or transporting weapons for Russia.
The ships are often old and unsafe, and engage in dangerous practices such as turning off their location tracking systems, increasing the risk of a serious collision.
Sir Keir said: 'Alongside our European partners, we have sent a clear message to those enabling Putin's attempts to evade sanctions: we will not allow Russia's shadow fleet, and the dirty money it generates, to flow freely through European waters and put our security at risk.'
