Starmer, Macron want to persuade Biden to allow Ukraine to fire Storm Shadow missiles deep into Russia - media

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron will discuss on Monday whether U.S. President Joe Biden can be persuaded to give Ukraine permission to fire Storm Shadow missiles deep into Russia.

That is according to The Telegraph, which refers to UK Government insiders, Ukrinform reports.

The Telegraph has been told there are hopes in London that Biden will finally give the approval Kyiv has sought for months in an attempt to secure his foreign policy legacy.

The debate over whether Ukraine should be allowed to fire Storm Shadow missiles, made by the UK and France, deep into Russian territory played out for months behind the scenes. The missiles require U.S. technology to be fully effective.

Ukraine is understood to currently only be allowed to use the missiles in limited circumstances on Russian land, such as to hit troops just by the border - though the specifics of any agreements have never been made public.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has been calling for permission to fire the missiles further into Russia for months as it could help stop Russian planes taking off before bombing Ukraine.

Well-placed UK government sources said Starmer and Macron had become supportive earlier this year.

In the United States, Secretary of State Antony Blinken also supports the idea, while the U.S. president's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, opposes the move, fearing it will escalate the confrontation with Russia.

Photo: LAURENT BLEVENNEC/PRESIDENCE DE LA REPUBLIQUE