UK ‘Open-Minded’ on Sending Long-Range Strike Systems to Ukraine to ‘Punish’ Russia
Members of the British military’s Royal Artillery regiment are silhouetted as they stand near a Rapier air defence system during a media event ahead of a training exercise designed to test military procedures prior to the Olympic period in Blackheath, London
The United Kingdom has delivered over £3.2 billion ($4 billion US) in military support to Ukraine this year, and pledged £2.3 billion ($2.6 billion) more in 2023. Meanwhile, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility, ordinary Britons have recently suffered the worst fall in living standards since record-keeping began in 1948.The UK is not averse to sending long-range missile systems to Ukraine to ensure that Russia does “not go unpunished” if the Russian military continues to target the country’s energy infrastructure, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has indicated.“I constantly review the weapons systems we could provide,” the minister told parliament on Monday after being asked by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson if the UK might send more advanced weapons systems to Kiev to attack drone launch sites deep inside Russia.“He’s absolutely right, Mr. Speaker that the Russians are taking advantage of the short-range capability of the Ukrainian armed forces by using these Iranian kamikaze drones, and as we see against all the rules of law, including the Geneva conventions, the mass targeting of civilian and critical infrastructure is not only a war crime, but a war crime that we must see does not go unpunished,” Wallace said.Russia and Iran have each separately denied that the drone systems being used in Ukraine are of Iranian origin.Boasting that the UK still has longer-range weapons systems in its “armory” that it hasn’t sent, Wallace warned that if Russian attacks continue, “I will be open minded to see what we do next.”Last week, in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised Kiev that London would continue its military support, including weapons and training for 10,000 Ukrainian military personnel, and vowed to “stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
WorldBritish Farmers Warn of Looming UK ‘Food Supply Crisis’ Amid Global ‘Volatility’6 December, 15:42 GMTBritain has been a key benefactor to Kiev amid the Ukrainian crisis, and reportedly played a key role in foiling a potential Russian-Ukrainian peace agreement this spring, when then Prime Minister Johnson personally traveled to the country to urge Zelensky not to accept any peace deal with Moscow.The UK’s weapons deliveries to the country have been second in value only to Washington’s, and London began arming, training and equipping the Ukrainian military long before Russia launched its special military operation in February.Russia has repeatedly warned UK officials about the dangers of their arms deliveries, pointing to their propensity to escalate the conflict. At the same time, media have reported on weapons sent to Ukraine by the West ending up far outside the conflict zone in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.The global economic downturn sparked by the Ukrainian crisis has battered the British Isles significantly, threatening the nation with a major recession that could turn into a ‘lost decade’. Ordinary Britons have been left facing the consequences of London’s attempts to “punish” Russia for its military operation in Ukraine by slapping sanctions, ‘price caps’ and other restrictions on Russian energy supplies, which have resulted in surging inflation and higher energy costs in the UK and across the West.
WorldNew Round of UK Rail Strikes as Big Chill Causes Road ChaosYesterday, 17:59 GMTRussia began a campaign of precision missile and air strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in October after Ukraine attacked the Crimean Bridge. The bridge attack was one of several attacks by Ukraine and its partners targeting Russian infrastructure.
