Moscow has accused David Cameron’s of a “direct escalation” after the foreign secretary said Ukraine can use British weapons to strike targets inside Russia.
“The Kremlin considers British foreign minister David Cameron’s statement about Kyiv’s right to use British weapons to attack Russian targets dangerous,” Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, has said. “This is a direct escalation of tensions around the Ukrainian conflict, which could potentially pose a danger to European security.”
Lord Cameron earlier promised £3 billion of annual military aid to support Ukraine for “as long as it takes”, adding that Britain had no objection to its weapons being used inside Russia. “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,” he said.
His comments put Britain on a more hawkish footing towards Russia – at least publicly – than the United States, which stipulates that any weapons it supplies to Ukraine should only be used within Ukraine’s internationally-recognised borders rather than against targets inside Russia itself.
It comes as a Ukrainian intelligence official warned the fall of Chasiv Yar is only a matter of time.
The capture of the town could pave the way for Russia to capture the rest of the Donetsk region.
Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of Ukraine’s defence intelligence, said: “Not today or tomorrow, of course, but all depending on our reserves and supplies.”
He told the Economist that the Russian army is under orders to “take something” in time for Victory Day celebrations on May 9.
Mr Skibitsky also said there is “no way to win on the battlefield alone” and Ukraine and Russia are effectively trying to secure the best position for potential negotiations in 2025.
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