Starmer says Russia can end the war 'straight away' after Putin warns of escalation

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Russia “started” the ongoing war against Ukraine and it can “end it straight away” after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the use of Western long-range missiles into Russian territory would put Nato “at war” with Moscow. Starmer’s reaction to Putin’s comments came while he was en route to Washington where he will be meeting US President Joe Biden.

During Starmer’s visit, both the UK premier and Biden sought to justify the West’s decision to allow Ukraine to attack inside Russia with partly British-made Storm Shadow missiles. “Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia can end this conflict straight away. Ukraine has the right to self-defence,” Starmer said while responding to the direct threats from the Russian president.

The British premier said that his country has provided “training and capability” to Ukraine and he is visiting Washington partly because “there are obviously further discussions to be had about the nature of that capability,” The Guardian reported.

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The Storm Shadow missile has a range of at least 190 miles and its use within the Russian territories has been Ukraine’s longstanding demand.

Starmer says ’there is more to come’

While speaking to the media on the plane to Washington, the British Prime Minister said that he would not comment on Storm Shadow directly, but added he wanted to ensure that “all the decisions we made are within the strategic context” by discussing the issues with his US counterpart at the White House on Friday afternoon.

“There are really important developments likely in the next few weeks and months, both in Ukraine and the Middle East, and therefore a number of tactical decisions ought to be taken,” he explained.

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The comments came after Putin said that the decision to allow the use of the controversial missiles “would in a significant way change the very nature of the conflict.” “It would mean that Nato countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia,” the Russian president told a state television reporter.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy insisted that both the US and the UK should give Ukraine the weapons it needs to defeat Russia in the ravaging war. “This is a crucial period in the fight because you are setting things up to stop Russia getting the advantage over winter,” he told the Daily Telegraph while visiting the war-stricken nation.

“We are here also, of course, at a time when it is crystal clear Russia is escalating with its friend Iran, taking a consignment of ballistic missiles. Ballistic missiles that will be used in the winter, sadly, against the Ukrainian people and which will cost lives. So, of course, we’re here to strategise, to understand how we can put Ukrainians in a position to win and what is needed,” he added.

It is pertinent to note that both London and Washington have emphasised to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that any use of Storm Shadow missiles must be carefully coordinated as part of a wider plan to try to force Russia to end the conflict.

Starmer made it clear that the purpose of the trip was not to try to force a peace agreement on Ukraine. “Ultimately that’s a discussion that has to be led by President Zelenskyy,” he said. Starmer is scheduled to have a one-on-one meeting with Biden along with a delegation-level meeting.

Interestingly, he will not hold talks with the US Vice President and Democrat’s presidential nominee for the upcoming polls Kamala Harris. “She will be in other parts of the US,” Starmer said. “Rather than Washington, she’ll be, as you’d expect, in swing states,” he added.

With inputs from agencies.