British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the BBC during a visit to Kyiv that the transfer of Iranian missiles to Russia had changed the debate over Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles against targets inside Russia.
Lammy arrived in the Ukrainian capital with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after talks in London.
They met with President Volodymr Zelensky, who has repeatedly called on allies to ease restrictions on the use of weapons supplied by the West.
The United States and Britain have not granted Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles against targets inside Russia for fear of escalating tensions.
At a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday, Blinken said US President Joe Biden would likely discuss the use of long-range missiles with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the White House on Friday.
Asked about the risk of escalation, the US Secretary of State added: “We’ve now seen this action by Russia in purchasing ballistic missiles from Iran, which will further entrench their aggression in Ukraine. So if anyone is doing the escalatory action, it seems to be Mr Putin and Russia.”
Lammy did not care whether the US and UK allowed Ukraine to use long-range missiles, but said: “I am not prepared to give Putin the advantage.”
Biden said his administration is considering lifting restrictions, but no decision has been announced yet.
On Wednesday, Zelensky said Kyiv’s victory in the fight against Russia “mainly depends on US support”.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said steps towards lifting the long-range missile restrictions “are important in the context of reports of possible Iranian transfers of ballistic missiles to Russia”.
“We must act boldly,” he added.
In an interview with the BBC, Lammy said Iran’s supply of ballistic missiles to Russia “clearly changes the debate” because they would allow Moscow’s forces to “penetrate deeper into Ukraine”.
“That’s very dangerous,” Lammy said, adding: “When we see the Russians working with their partners, we see the transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia, it’s important that we do more to support Ukraine in winning their bid.”
On Wednesday, Lammy said the UK would provide £600 million ($780 million) in aid to Ukraine to support the country’s “humanitarian, energy and stability needs.” Blinken announced a further $700 million in aid to Ukraine, including funding for the energy sector and mine clearance.
The new aid comes after the US, UK, France and Germany imposed further sanctions on Iran over its alleged supply of ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine. The UK government summoned Iran’s top diplomat over the allegations.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal thanked Lammy for Britain’s military support to Ukraine throughout the war.
But he added: “We hope that the long-range equipment for strikes into enemy territory will come to us and we will have it. We hope to receive your help and support in this matter.”
Asked by reporters on Tuesday whether the United States would lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons, President Biden said his administration was “working on that right now.”
Earlier this year, the United States eased some restrictions, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike areas along the Russian border where troops are firing.
Kyiv’s other allies also supply some long-range weapons — with restrictions on how and when they can be used inside Russia, out of concern that such attacks could lead to retaliation, drag NATO countries into war or spark a nuclear conflict.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia would respond “adequately” if the United States allowed Ukraine to launch missile strikes on its territory.
During a visit to the UK before heading to Kyiv, Blinken accused Iran of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, saying they could be deployed against Ukrainians within weeks. Lammy described Iran’s move as “a significant and dangerous escalation”.
These missiles would potentially boost Russia’s arsenal, allowing it to strike Ukrainian cities near the Russian border or areas it already controls, and deploy longer-range missiles deeper into Ukrainian territory.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied that his country had supplied missiles to Russia, accusing Western countries of “acting on false intelligence and faulty logic”.
