Britain responds to Putin’s threats

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his country is not seeking war with Russia, but is helping Ukraine defend itself. He said this in response to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s threats of war with NATO in the event of attacks deep into Russia, The Guardian reports.

On his way to Washington to meet US President Joe Biden, Starmer told reporters:

“We are not looking for any conflict with Russia, we have no such intentions. It was Russia that started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia can immediately end this conflict. Ukraine has the right to self-defense.”

He added that Britain had provided “training and capability” to help Ukraine repel a Russian invasion and said his visit to the US was partly to “discuss that capability further”.

Before this, The Guardian reported that the US and the UK, along with other allies, agreed to allow Ukraine to strike military targets in Russia with Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of at least 300 km, a long-standing request of Kyiv.

On Thursday, Putin said that any move by the West to allow Kyiv to use long-range weapons against targets inside Russia would mean that NATO is “at war” with Russia.

Speaking to reporters on a plane to Washington, the Prime Minister said he would not comment specifically on Storm Shadow, but added that he wanted to make sure “every decision we make is in a strategic context.”

“It is likely that there will be some important developments both in Ukraine and in the Middle East in the next few weeks and months, and therefore some tactical decisions will have to be made,” the prime minister said.