Kiev Regime Asks For London’s Support In Attacks With Long-Range Missiles

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Written by Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert

Kiev is no longer hiding its desperation to be authorized to strike targets in “deep Russia.” After several failed requests for authorization from the US, the regime has asked British officials to support its demand, claiming that the measure is necessary for Ukraine to achieve its strategic objectives in the war. London is not in a position to authorize or not such attacks without previous consensus with the Americans, but Kiev’s thirsty for escalation makes it act irrationally.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal asked UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to support Ukraine’s demand to use long-range missiles against Russia. Lammy was on an official visit to Kiev jointly with Antony Blinken. Some Western analysts expected Blinken’s trip to be aimed precisely at announcing a public authorization for these strikes, but no change in the American position has been declared so far.

During a meeting with the British official, Shmyhal said:

“We [Ukrainians] hope that long-range equipment for strikes on the territory of our enemy will be reached and we will have it. And we hope for your help and support in this issue.”

Lammy seemed uncomfortable with the request, as the words sounded like a clear attempt to create a “lobby” and pressure the US to accept Ukraine’s demands. Lammy avoided giving a conclusive answer on the matter, but a day before the meeting with Shmyhal he had already made it clear that strategic decisions would not be announced on the trip.

“It’s hugely important that we (Lammy and Blinken) are travelling together to hear from our Ukrainian counterparts and President Zelensky their assessment of the situation on the ground and their needs on the ground (…) It would, however, be quite wrong to comment on the detail of operational issues in a forum such as this, because the only person who could benefit is Putin, and we will do nothing to give him any advantage in his illegal invasion,” Lammy said.

In the same vein, Blinken confirmed that the purpose of the trip is only to listen to Ukrainian demands and needs, without making any decisions at the current time. He said that everything discussed during the trip will be reported to the American and British governments after the end of the expedition, and any possible decision will therefore be made only at a later date – implying that any Ukrainian effort for “authorization” is futile for now.

“One of the purposes of the trip we will be taking together is to hear directly from the Ukrainian leadership including President Zelensky about exactly how the Ukrainians see their needs in this moment, toward what objectives and what we can do to support those needs (..) All I can tell you is we will be listening intently to our Ukrainian partners, we will both be reporting back to the Prime Minister, to President Biden in the coming days, and I fully anticipate this is something they will take up when they meet on Friday,” Blinken said.

Meanwhile, London seems willing to shift the focus of Ukraine’s demands. The UK has announced new sanctions against ships that are allegedly working to circumvent the embargo on Russian oil. Lammy commented on the move during his visit to Kiev, describing it as a kind of strategic victory for the Western-Ukrainian side. He said the sanctions could inflict serious damage on the Russian economy, thereby hampering its military efforts. Lammy seems to simply want Kiev to see such “moderate” measures as “sufficient” and stop asking for escalating military policies.

“Russia has been forced to spend over eight billion dollars (£6 billion) amassing this shadow fleet. But with sanctioned tankers loitering and unable to load oil, we are determined to make Putin’s investment an expensive misstep for the Kremlin,” Lammy added.

Some analysts believe that Blinken and Lammy secretly “authorized” the deep strikes during the trip. There is no evidence to support this claim so far, but it would be a suicidal move by Western powers. If Kiev starts launching such attacks from now, Moscow will be sure that such authorization was given. In this scenario, Russia would be forced to respond incisively, which would result in a widespread escalation of violence.

Washington and London undoubtedly want war, but they do not want to be targeted by Russia in retaliatory action, since neither side would benefit from an open or nuclear war. If Kiev uses these weapons against deep Russian territory, the US and UK will most likely claim that they did not give any authorization, leaving the Ukrainian regime to take the responsibility alone.

Asking London for help is pointless, since the British would never make a decision without prior communication with the US. London and Washington act together in all their moves. Kiev’s desperation to generate escalation and internationalization is preventing Ukrainian officials from seeing that there is no strategic sense in their actions. “Pressuring” international sponsors is a futile effort, since Ukraine, as a proxy agent, is supposed to follow orders, not demand anything.

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