No official authorization from the US and the UK to strike Russia in depth

US President Joe Biden has brushed aside Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s threat of war with the West if Ukraine’s allies allow him to use weapons to strike targets deeper inside Russia.

It is a change that Kyiv has been demanding for weeks, but no decision was immediately announced following a meeting between Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“The United States is committed to helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression. It must be made clear that Putin will not emerge victorious from this war. The Ukrainian people will prevail.”Biden said, without referring to Western long-range missiles.

Asked what he thought about Vladimir Putin’s threat, Joe Biden replied: “I don’t think much of Vladimir Putin.”

Keir Starmer also did not mention the missiles in brief statements made before the start of formal talks, saying only that Ukraine was an important issue and that “The next weeks and months could be crucial. It is very important that we support Ukraine in this vital war for freedom.”

Starmer’s comments come two days after the British Guardian newspaper reported that the US and UK had decided behind closed doors to allow Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles, some of which are British-made, to strike targets deeper inside Russia.

Two unnamed US officials said they believed Starmer was seeking Biden’s approval to allow Ukraine to use the missiles, some of which are made in the United States.

The United States, concerned about any move that might prompt Russia to escalate the conflict, has been cautious about granting a series of earlier requests from Ukraine for specific weapons, including tanks, missiles and F-16 fighter jets.

Meanwhile, at the United Nations in New York, Moscow’s ambassador told the Security Council that NATO would conduct a “direct war” against Russia if it approved the use of weapons donated by the West to strike Russia.

“In this case, we will have to, as you understand, take the necessary decisions, with all the consequences that this implies for the Western aggressors.”said Vassily Nebenzya.

“This is not a game. The fact is that NATO will participate directly in hostilities against a nuclear power. I think we should not forget that.”

These statements echo those of Vladimir Putin on Thursday in St. Petersburg, in which he warned the West of the consequences of granting Kyiv the authorization it is requesting.

This prompted at least one Russian newspaper, Comersant, to say “Putin has drawn his red line” on the front page of its Friday edition.

Despite warnings from the Kremlin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has remained determined that permission to strike military targets in Russia is crucial to turning the tide in the war.

Speaking at the Yalta European strategic meeting in Kyiv, he said Putin did not need permission to strike targets in Ukraine.

“When we learn that new missiles from Iran have arrived in Russia, this is the same evil that the allies have already had to shoot down in the skies of the Middle East”he said. Then he added: “If the allies jointly shoot down missiles and drones in the skies of the Middle East, why is there still no similar decision to jointly shoot down Russian missiles and Iranian Shahed drones over Ukraine?”