New British Prime Minister Labour's Keir Starmer said on Wednesday (10) that the United Kingdom's military aid to Ukraine, including Storm Shadow missiles, is for defensive purposes but Kiev can decide how to implement it.
Starmer, who took power last Friday after winning the July 4 British general election, insisted that the missiles “must be used and expected to be, obviously, in accordance with international humanitarian law”.
“But it is up to Ukraine to decide how to use them for these defensive purposes,” the Labor politician told reporters accompanying him to a NATO summit in Washington that begins today.
Storm Shadows are precision-guided cruise missiles with a range of over 250 kilometers. It is the first time Starmer has confirmed the new UK government's commitment to such military aid.
Just before his trip to Washington, Starmer announced this Tuesday (9) that his administration had committed to allocating 2.5% of GDP to defence.
As in the election campaign, Labor reiterated that it would target this percentage “within our fiscal rules”.
“The most important thing at this NATO summit is to reaffirm our solidarity with Ukraine and to discuss practical plans for the next steps we can take together against Russian aggression,” he said.
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