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The West will not be bullied by Vladimir Putin’s threat of war with Nato if Ukraine is given permission to use Western weapons to strike inside Russia, the UK foreign secretary has said.
David Lammy said talks were continuing with the US and allies about giving Kyiv permission to use UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to hit Russian airbases and military sites.
Russian president Mr Putin has warned that allowing long-range strikes “would mean that Nato countries, the United States, and European countries are at war with Russia”.
Mr Lammy said there was “a lot of bluster” from Mr Putin but “we cannot be blown off course by an imperialist fascist” who “wants to move into countries willy-nilly”.
It comes as tensions have grown between Iran and the West over military cooperation between Russia and Tehran.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously said that Russia had received ballistic missiles from Iran and was likely to use them in Ukraine within weeks. The US and UK have since imposed sanctions on Iran.
Tehran deny these claims and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said sanctions against the country are not the solution.
Two people die in Ukraine’s Odesa after Moscow and Kyiv exchange drone and missile attacks
Two people have died in a missile attack on the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa, local officials said.
The Ukrainian air force said on Sunday it shot down 10 of the 14 drones and one of the three missiles Russia launched overnight, while the rest hit the suburbs of Odesa.
Oleh Kiper, Odesa’s regional governor, said the two who died Saturday night were a married couple, and that another person was wounded in the attack.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said it downed 29 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday over western and southwestern regions, with no damage caused by the falling debris. It also said another Ukrainian drone was shot down Sunday morning over the western Ryazan region.
Watch: Hollywood actor Michael Douglas praises President Zelensky during Ukraine meeting
Hollywood actor Michael Douglas praises President Zelensky during Ukraine meeting
Michael Douglas hailed Volodymyr Zelensky an “inspiration” as the Hollywood actor sat down with the Ukrainian President to discuss the war against Russia. The 79-year-old ator and his son Dylan met with the Ukrainian President on Friday (13 September) to discuss support for Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict. President Zelensky shared video footage of their meeting and also thanked the actor for his support. Zelensky said: “We greatly appreciate that Michael and his son are genuinely interested in these issues and that their family stands with our country and people.”
Kyiv’s Kursk offensive increases incentives for Russia to exchange prisoners, think tank says
There has been an increased incentive for Russia to exchange prisoners of war with Ukraine since Kyiv’s offensive in Kursk, a think tank has said.
There have been three PoW exchanges between the two countries since the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast.
The Institute for the study of war said: “Ukrainian officials have repeatedly emphasized that the Kursk incursion has enhanced Ukraine’s negotiating power in POW exchanges with Russia, following the Kremlin’s consistent rejection of Ukraine’s attempt to negotiate exchanges.
“The frequency of POW exchanges between Ukraine and Russia has significantly increased since the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast on 6 August, with both sides exchanging a total of 267 POWs each in three separate exchanges.”
Former Russian president threatens to turn Kyiv into ‘melted spot’ if long-range missiles approved
Watch: UK won’t be bullied by Putin’s shameless grandstanding, says Lammy
Starmer, Biden and Zelensky to meet at UN General Assembly later this month
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said further talks would take place involving Sir Keir Starmer, Joe Biden and the Ukrainian president at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York later this month.
Asked whether the objections to making a decision were operational or political, Mr Lammy told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme: “I am not going to discuss the operational details of that kit. And the reason I’m not going to do that is because I’m not going to assist (Vladimir) Putin as we head into the winter.
“This is a long-standing request of Zelensky. He’s now been making it for well over a year.
“I understand why he makes that and, of course, it’s important for us to discuss the detail of that with our closest allies, and we continue to do that.
“But we head to UNGA and the UN General Assembly, where both Biden and the Prime Minister will meet Zelensky and as we head into the G7 foreign ministers (meeting) and the G20.
Five ex-ministers urge Starmer to allow Ukraine to use Storm Shadow Missiles
Five former UK defence secretaries and and Boris Johnson have urged Sir Keir Starmer to allow Ukraine to use long-range Storm Shadow missiles to strike inside Russia, even without US backing, according to The Sunday Times.
Grant Shapps, Ben Wallace, Gavin Williamson, Penny Mordaunt, Liam Fox and Boris Johnson warned the prime minister that any further delay would would only help Putin, the newspaper reported.
Former prime minister Mr Johnson told The Sunday Times: “There is no conceivable case for delay.”
“The only person who fears escalation is Vladimir Putin and every day that goes by is a lost opportunity to save lives and bring about a just conclusion to this war.”
UK will not be ‘bullied’ by Putin, Foreign secretary says
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK would not be “bullied” by Vladimir Putin’s threats of war with Nato, as international talks continued about whether Ukraine will be allowed to use western missiles to strike inside Russia.
Talks between Sir Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden in Washington did not produce an agreement on whether the UK and US would give permission to Kyiv, but further discussions are due to take place at the United Nations later this month.
Mr Putin has warned that allowing long-range strikes “would mean that Nato countries, the United States, and European countries are at war with Russia”.
But Mr Lammy told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme: “Putin said ‘don’t send tanks’. We sent them.
“Putin said ‘don’t send any missiles’. We sent them.
“Putin threatens every few months to use nuclear weapons.”
Mr Lammy added: “We won’t be bullied by Putin’s shameless grandstanding.
“What he should now do is cease his aggression and leave Ukraine.”
Growing fears in UK and US of a secret nuclear deal between Iran and Russia
Ukraine defences down 10 drones and one Russia-launched missile, Ukraine air force says
Ukraine‘s air defence units destroyed 10 out of 14 drones that Russia launched overnight targeting its territory, Ukraine‘s air force has said.
It also said on the Telegram messaging app that Russia launched two Iskander M-ballistic missiles and one Kh-59 guided air missile targeting the southern region of Odesa.
The guided air missile was destroyed, the air force said. It did not say what happened to the Iskander missiles or whether there was any damage as a result of the attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that during the past week Russia used about 30 missiles of various types, more than 800 guided aerial bombs and almost 300 attack drones against Ukraine.
Source: independent.co.uk
