Relations between Ukraine and UK deteriorate, The Guardian states: Reason revealed
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (Getty Images)
Ukraine observes deteriorating relations with the UK after Keir Starmer became Prime Minister. London has yet to provide the Ukrainian military with additional Storm Shadow long-range missiles, The Guardian reports.
The media outlet reminds that Starmer has not visited Ukraine in the four months since becoming Prime Minister. In Kyiv, it is reportedly believed that his visit would be pointless unless he commits to supplying Ukraine with additional Storm Shadow missiles.
"There’s no point in his coming as a tourist," a high-ranking official in the Ukrainian President's Office told the news agency.
According to The Guardian, Ukraine’s main grievance with the UK is that it has not provided any additional Storm Shadow missiles from its stockpiles.
"It isn’t happening. Starmer isn’t giving us long-range weapons. The situation is not the same as when Rishi Sunak was prime minister. The relationship has got worse," the unnamed official added.
He also mentioned that if Ukraine had received additional Storm Shadow missiles from the UK, it would have been apparent, as Ukrainian defenders would have used them to strike Russian targets.
It is worth noting that the UK is one of three countries that agreed to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles. The Storm Shadow missiles were sent in 2023, with the condition that they would not be used to attack Russian territory.
Use of Storm Shadow
The last reported use of Storm Shadow missiles by Ukrainian forces was on October 5.
At that time, Ukrainian aviation targeted command posts of the 35th and 27th separate motorized infantry brigades, as well as one of the command posts of the 2nd Combined Arms Army of the Russian Armed Forces.
