British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has said Ukraine could use British-provided weapons in attacks on Russian territory, comments Russia called a “direct escalation” of tensions.
“Ukraine has that right. Just as Russia is striking inside Ukraine, you can quite understand why Ukraine feels the need to make sure it’s defending itself,” Cameron told Reuters while he was in Kyiv last week.
Cameron’s comments suggest that London would allow Ukraine to use British-provided Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of about 155 miles, in attacks on Russian territory. A German military leak recently revealed that a small number of British soldiers are “on the ground” in Ukraine helping Ukrainian forces fire Storm Shadows.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed to both Cameron’s comments and recent comments from French President Emmanuel Macron, who recently reaffirmed his position that sending ground troops to fight Russia in Ukraine shouldn’t be ruled out.
“We see this kind of verbal escalation from officials. We see it both at the level of heads of state, when it comes to France, and at a rather expert level, when it comes to the UK,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“This is a direct escalation of tensions around the Ukrainian conflict, which could potentially pose a threat to European security, for the entire European security architecture,” Peskov added.
Cameron also promised the UK would provide Ukraine with 3 billion pounds ($3.74 billion) in funds for annual military aid but not equipment since the UK has depleted its stockpiles. “We will give 3 billion pounds every year for as long as is necessary. We’ve just really emptied all we can in terms of giving equipment,” he said.
