The Prime Minister of the UK, Keir Starmer, and President Joe Biden of the US have discussed the possibility of allowing Ukraine to fire long-range, western-supplied missiles into Russia. However, no formal announcement has been made. Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened that this action would amount to Nato joining the war. Despite this threat, Biden dismissed Putin’s sabre-rattling, stating that he did not believe it would lead to Nato going to war with Moscow.
Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has reported success in slowing down Moscow’s advance in Ukraine’s east following an incursion into Russia’s border region. Zelenskiy also stated that a group of Ukrainian prisoners of war had been returned from Russia. Additionally, Romania has begun training Ukrainian F-16 pilots, and drone fragments fell on a building in Kyiv.
In response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, the US has imposed new sanctions on Russia for undermining democracies. Zelenskiy has plans to meet with Biden this month to present his “victory plan” to end the war with Russia. However, the German Chancellor has stated that Germany will not send long-range missiles requested by Ukraine, despite calls from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson for permission to launch Storm Shadow strikes on Russia.
Zelenskiy has also met with actor Michael Douglas in Kyiv to discuss support for Ukraine, while the Ukrainian government has approved a draft budget for 2025 with a strong focus on defense spending. Ukraine is prioritizing defense and security, directing domestic resources towards these objectives.
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Photo credit www.theguardian.com
