Ukraine-Russia war live: Biden ‘may let UK Storm Shadow missiles strike Russia’ as Kursk counterattack begins
But US set to bar Kyiv from deploying its longest-range missiles to strike deep into territory across border
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The United States may let Ukraine fire British and French missiles into Russia – but not its own longer-range weapons, according to two sources reportedly familiar with talks between Kyiv, the UK and the US.
President Biden is set to give Ukraine’s President Zelensky the go-ahead to use Storm Shadow missiles and their French equivalent, Scalp missiles, to strike deeper into mainland Russia, the sources said.
But the US would bar Ukrainian troops from deploying its longest-range missiles across the border.
Earlier, US secretary of state Antony Blinken hinted that a decision had already been made in private.
Kyiv’s repeated appeals for the West’s authorisation to use long-range weapons took on added urgency after Russia’s latest reported acquisition of ballistic missiles from Iran, but Western leaders have so far balked at Ukraine’s request, fearing that, if granted, it could escalate the war.
The Kremlin says that letting Ukraine use Western weaponry would trigger a reaction by Moscow, the Tass state news agency reported.
Russian forces are now fighting back against Ukraine’s incursion in Kursk, more than a month after Kyiv’s troops stunned Vladimir Putin and seized a large swathe of the Russian region.
Lammy and Blinken joint visit to Kyiv amid fears over Iran-Russia missile deal
Biden suggests US could soon allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to target deep inside Russia
The new underground hospital saving lives near the frontline in eastern Ukraine
The Ukrainian doctors forced to perform surgery without anaesthetic
What is the Storm Shadow cruise missile? The British weapon banned from use in Russia by Ukrainian troops
14 injured in Konotop energy strike by Russian drones
Russian drones inflicted significant damage to the northern Ukrainian town of Konotop’s energy infrastructure in an overnight attack that injured at least 14 people and cut electricity to the settlement, local officials said on Thursday.
Rescuers were working to restore power in the town, which had a pre-war population of about 83,000. Regional officials said there had been 10 explosions during the attack and Mayor Artem Semenikhin said the power system was in critical condition.
“At the moment, energy workers are doing everything they can to provide electricity to the hospital and the water supply system,” he said in the early hours of Thursday.
Hospitals continued to operate, he added.
Editorial: We must give Ukraine the tools it needs to finish the job
As winter draws near, the need to help Ukraine protect the home front grows ever more urgent. The increasingly close relationship between Moscow and Tehran also has highly disturbing implications for the situation in the Middle East.
Yet as Russia bombards the people of Ukraine, President Zelensky and his generals have been restrained from using long-range weaponry supplied by the West on legitimate Russian military targets. According to their comments in their press conference, it seems that those operational restrictions are to be relaxed, and not before time.
We must give Ukraine the tools it needs to finish the job
Editorial: The West has taken President Putin’s threat of nuclear retaliation too seriously for too long. President Zelensky must now be permitted to use long-range weaponry on legitimate Russian military targets
Ukraine downs 44 out of 64 Russia-launched drones overnight
Ukraine‘s air force said shot down 44 out of 64 drones launched by Russia overnight, officials said.
Russia also fired five missiles, the air force added in a statement posted on Telegram. It was unclear whether these reached their targets or were shot down.
Russian commander claims Ukrainian troops pushed back in Kursk
Russian forces have begun a significant counter-offensive against Ukrainian troops, a senior Russian commander has said, claiming to have recaptured some territory.
Major General Apti Alaudinov, who commands Chechnya’s Akhmat special forces fighting in Kursk, said that Russian troops had gone on the offensive and taken back control of about 10 settlements in Kursk, TASS reported.
“The situation is good for us,” said Alaudinov, who is also deputy head of the Russian defence ministry’s military-political department.
“A total of about 10 settlements in the Kursk region have been liberated,” he said.
Last week, Volodymyr Zelensky said his forces controlled 100 settlements in Kursk over an area of more than 1,300 sq km (500 sq miles), a figure disputed by Russian sources.
UK to provide £600 million of support for Ukraine
British foreign secretary David Lammy has announced that Britain would provide a further £600 million of support for Ukraine as he visited Kyiv with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The British government said it would provide £242 million of funding, including for humanitarian needs, and £484 million in loan guarantees for World Bank lending to Ukraine before the end of the year.
Will letting Ukraine use long-range missiles push Putin over the edge?
The joint visit to Kyiv by the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and our own foreign secretary, David Lammy, is much more than that latest show of transatlantic support for Ukraine.
The possible lifting of restrictions on the use of the US and UK’s longer-range missiles is widely being billed as a “game-changing” move, one that would enable strategic targets deeper within Russia to be hit by Ukrainian forces for the first time. Lammy has said that the West is “listening carefully” to Ukraine’s needs.
Certainly for President Zelensky, it comes at a critical moment, as the solidity of the EU’s backing of the war appears to be wavering. With Germany going “wobbly” as its domestically-embattled chancellor Scholz calls for a peace conference, and with winter now approaching, the Anglo-American show of support for Ukraine is vitally important.
But potentially of even greater consequence, to an even greater number of people around the world, is whether giving permission to use long-range weapons to strike Russian territory proves to be a tipping point for Putin – one that prompts him to go nuclear.
Mark Almond writes:
Will letting Ukraine use long-range missiles push Putin over the edge?
Granting permission to Kyiv to fire Storm Shadow missiles deep into Russia could result in a token nuclear strike in retaliation – but history suggests it unlikely, says Mark Almond
Russia hits energy facilities, infrastructure in Sumy
Russian forces attacked energy facilities and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine’s northeastern town of Konotop overnight, officials in Sumy region said via Telegram.
The attack injured at least 13 people, based on preliminary information, according to the statement.
Blinken now heads to Poland discuss support for Ukraine
US secretary of state Antony Blinken will meet with senior Polish government officials today to discuss support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, as well as deepening US defence cooperation with Warsaw.
Mr Blinken’s trip to Nato ally Poland follows a visit to Kyiv yesterday where he heard Ukraine’s appeals to be allowed to fire Western-supplied missiles deep into Russian territory.
The top diplomat is scheduled to meet with Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, president Andrzej Duda and foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, according to their offices.
More than two and a half years since Russia’s invasion began, Ukrainian forces are being pressured on the battlefield by a better armed and bigger foe, as they try to fend off Russian gains in the east where Moscow is focusing its attacks.
US pledges over $700m in humanitarian support
Speaking at a joint US-UK press conference in Kyiv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced over $700m in humanitarian support for the country.
Mr Blinken announced $323m in support for Ukraine’s energy grid, $290m in support for food, water and medicine, and $102m in support for de-mining.
David Lammy slams Russian ‘imperialism'
UK foreign secretary David Lammy has slammed Russian “imperialism” and “fascism” as he warned the liberty of Ukraine, Europe and the West were at stake.
It comes after Britain pledged to provide a further £600 million of support for Ukraine as he visited Kyiv with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The British government said it would provide £242 million of funding, including for humanitarian needs, and £484 million in loan guarantees for World Bank lending to Ukraine before the end of the year.
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