https://archive.ph/4mZzP
Go it alone and let Ukraine fire missiles, Keir Starmer told
After talks in Washington reached a stalemate, five former defence secretaries said Britain shouldn’t wait for US backing
Five former defence secretaries and an ex-prime minister have urged Sir Keir Starmer to allow Ukraine to use its long-range Storm Shadow missiles to strike inside Russia — even without US backing.
Grant Shapps, Ben Wallace, Gavin Williamson, Penny Mordaunt, Liam Fox and Boris Johnson warned the PM that any further delay would embolden Vladimir Putin.
Wallace said that failure to move now would make Britain “appeasers” of the Kremlin, while Williamson called it a “dereliction of duty” and Boris Johnson added: “There is no conceivable case for delay.”
Starmer flew to Washington for talks with President Biden on Friday to discuss pleas from President Zelensky for permission to use the British-made missiles. However, the meeting broke up without any agreement.
Pressure has been growing on the UK and the US to allow the use of Storm Shadow missiles after it was claimed last week that Russia had received new
deadly ballistic missiles from Iran for use in Ukraine. Senior security sources believe Russia has shared nuclear secrets with Iran in return for the missiles.
The row over whether western missiles can be used to strike targets across Ukraine’s border follows similar delays over decisions on supplying tanks and fighter jets.
Leading the chorus of voices calling on Britain to act unilaterally, Shapps said: “Rather than waiting for formal approval from the US, Sir Keir needs to provide President Zelensky with what’s desperately needed today. That’s how we assumed our global leadership position in supporting Ukraine. We acted. Others followed. And it’s the kind of leadership that’s required again for Ukraine today.”
Wallace added: “Britain is in danger of falling behind into the pack of ditherers, appeasers and delayers, when the only real way to stand up to a bully such as Putin is to be strong, united and determined to see it through.”….
Insiders say the White House talks, which lasted 90 minutes, were “very open” about “the choices ahead of us”. But it can be revealed that Biden and his team signalled that they want to go into a “holding pattern” until Zelensky has presented his “victory plan” — before giving their approval for attacks inside Russia.
This surprised British officials who had listened closely to hints from Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, that America was edging towards authorising Storm Shadow, an Anglo-French weapon which relies on American GPS guidance systems…..
Sources in London say there is a split in Biden’s team between Blinken and Jake Sullivan, the doveish US national security adviser, who held “Sherpa” talks before the White House meeting with Tim Barrow, his opposite number. “The problem is Sullivan, not Blinken,” a British defence source said. “All the way through it has been Sullivan.”
A political source did not dispute that there were differences in Washington and added: “I think it would be fair to say that Antony Blinken was leaning in that direction.” However, there are hints that even if Biden is not prepared to publicly give the green light, he is willing to approve the use of US intelligence and targeting systems to accompany the Storm Shadow, which is jointly produced by Britain, France and Italy.
Starmer, while not explicitly committed to giving the green light, has faced down an attempt by the Foreign Office to get Britain to change its stance on Ukraine and “get back in the pack”, so the UK is no longer the most forward-leaning member of the western alliance in advocating the arming of Ukraine. Yet he is still keen to have explicit US sign-off.
A source close to the prime minister said: “This is something that you would want to do with key Nato allies aligned on the issue.”…..