Ukraine urges Starmer to take the lead and not just follow the US

Sir Keir Starmer has abandoned British leadership in Ukraine since coming to power, a former Ukraine foreign minister has said.

Dmytro Kuleba, who was at the heart of President Zelensky's government for four years, said Labor's policy on Ukraine should follow that of the Americans.

He said his first unpleasant conversation with British officials took place shortly before his resignation in September, when Labor refused to let Ukraine use long-range Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russia without the president's approval Biden.

Ukrainian troops are retreating at an alarming rate ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20. Trump promised to end the war within 24 hours of entering the White House and appointed an envoy, Keith Kellogg, to freeze the conflict. along existing front lines while negotiations take place.

Boris Johnson was the first Western leader to visit Kyiv after the invasion

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

President Putin is working to capture as much territory as possible before peace talks begin. Last month, Russia captured an area the size of London while suffering the highest casualty rate of the war.

More than five months after his election, Starmer has not visited Ukraine and concern is growing in kyiv about Labour's lack of appetite to take diplomatic risks. Boris Johnson was the first Western leader to visit kyiv after the invasion and Rishi Sunak made a symbolic visit to demonstrate Britain's continued support weeks after entering No 10.

Ukrainians feel betrayed as talk of defeat and diplomacy swirls

Zelensky has already turned to London to galvanize Western support, even though Ukraine has received less military aid from Britain than from the United States and Germany. Britain was the first to provide tanks and long-range missiles, decisions that encouraged the United States and other countries to follow suit.

Kubela said: Boris Johnson has set the threshold high. Rishi Sunak had no choice but to cross the threshold and push it further. When the Labor Government came to power, we received strong assurances that things would continue as they were. To a large extent, this was the case, except for the Storm Shadows story.

The only unpleasant conversation I had with British officials a few weeks before my resignation and it was the first unpleasant conversation since the start of the full-scale invasion concerned the delivery of Storm Shadows and authorization to use them against certain targets. . . Perhaps the reason was that the new government was cautious and did not want to make hasty decisions.

Starmer ultimately authorized the use of Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russia once Biden approved cross-border strikes with US Atacms ballistic missiles. As many as 12 Storm Shadow missiles were used last month to destroy a Russian command headquarters in the village of Maryno. Since the strikes, the number of Russian glide bombs dropped each day on Ukrainian positions appears to have halved, with Moscow forced to move its warplanes away from the border.

Russia captured an area the size of London last month while suffering the highest casualty rate of the war.

PAVLO ZARVA/KORDON.MEDIA/GETTY IMAGES

Kuleba, 43, likened the delay in approving the Storm Shadow strikes to the willingness of previous British prime ministers to support Ukraine despite doubts from the United States. The Conservatives were coordinating with the Americans, but they weren't just following the Americans, he said. This is the change brought about by the Labor Party. They decided to follow the Americans.

He added: [Britain] must allow itself to have conversations with the Americans about Ukraine, and not just follow the decisions the United States makes.

Kuleba also rejected the argument that Britain was unable to use Storm Shadows in Russia without US approval due to the missiles' reliance on US GPS.

Having spent two and a half years at the heart of war diplomacy, I can tell you that when you are not prepared to do something, you can easily have a five-page memo on your table explaining why it is not not possible, he declared.

A UK government spokesperson said: The UK plays a leading role in supporting Ukraine, which is why the Prime Minister has committed 3 billion a year in military support to Ukraine for so long than necessary, and in 2025 the UK will spend more. that he has never done so when it comes to military financing for Ukraine.

We continue to push our international partners to increase their financial support for Ukraine to ensure that Putin loses, as the foreign minister did at the NATO foreign ministers meeting earlier this month. The Prime Minister also met President Zelensky six times, including twice hosting him at No.10.

Additional reporting by Vika Sybir