British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden have discussed the possibility of allowing Ukraine to fire long-range western-supplied missiles into Russia, without making any formal announcements. This move has been met with threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who stated it would be seen as NATO joining the war. The UK and US leaders had a wide-ranging discussion about strategy, including possibly allowing British Storm Shadow missiles to strike inside Russia.
Russian forces have been focusing their assaults near the town of Kurakhove in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that an incursion into Russia’s border region of Kursk had successfully slowed Moscow’s advance. Zelenskiy also noted that 49 Ukrainian prisoners of war had been returned from Russia, with the country preparing its first group of F-16 pilots to aid Ukraine.
In response to escalating tensions, Russia has revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats on espionage accusations, while the US imposed new sanctions on Russia for undermining democracies. In addition, Ukraine’s government approved a draft budget with a strong focus on defense spending.
Amidst these developments, Zelenskiy announced plans to meet with Biden to present his “victory plan” to end the war with Russia. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that Germany would not send long-range missiles requested by Ukraine, reiterating a clear decision on the matter. In a meeting with Boris Johnson, Zelenskiy discussed the need for permission to use Storm Shadow missiles on Russia to halt attacks, while also meeting with American actor Michael Douglas to discuss support for Ukraine.
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