Sign up for our breaking news emails to get free, real-time breaking news straight to your inbox.

Sign up for our free emails with breaking news

Sign up for our free emails with breaking news

Joe Biden has added to growing speculation that the US is close to lifting its restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles to launch strikes deep inside Russia, confirming that his administration is “working to get this cleared up right now”.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of State David Lammy will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later on Wednesday in Kyiv.

They will discuss Ukraine’s use of modern Western-made weapons, including British Storm Shadow missiles. The times was reported citing British government sources.

A possible move to allow Ukraine to deploy long-range missiles against Russia comes after US intelligence reports revealed that Iran has begun supplying Moscow with ballistic missiles in addition to its existing exports of Shahed combat drones. Tehran has denied the reports, while Russia has only confirmed that it is seeking increased “cooperation” with Iran.

“I think this is a critical moment for Ukraine in the midst of an intense fall fighting season in which Russia continues to escalate its aggression,” Blinken said at a press conference with Lammy in London before their visit to Kyiv.

Mr Biden is likely to discuss Ukraine’s missile deployment with Prime Minister Keir Starmer when they meet in Washington on Friday.

Mr Zelensky has repeatedly called on the West to supply more long-range missiles and lift restrictions on their use to attack targets on Russian territory.

The US had previously expressed fears that such a move would escalate the conflict, but sources in the British government have indicated that this attitude is now changing. CIA chief Bill Burns also indicated a change of heart in Washington during a visit to London last Saturday.

Although Britain and France have likely allowed Ukraine to deploy long-range missiles within Russia, such permission from the United States would represent a significant change in Kyiv’s capabilities.

Britain has supplied Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles with a range of around 250 kilometers, while the US has supplied Ukraine with ATACMS ballistic missiles with a range of 305 kilometers.

Kiev is using both missiles as well as a range of other weapons and military equipment from the West, but has been unable to repel the Russian advance.

Seeking to regain the initiative and divert the Russian military from the front line in Donbass, Ukrainian troops invaded Russia’s Kursk region last month and seized large swathes of territory. Now they have dug in, awaiting an inevitable Russian counterattack.

Meanwhile, Russian troops continue to advance eastward.

Mr Blinken and Mr Lammy are visiting Kyiv a day after Russia reportedly received a shipment of 200 ballistic missiles from Iran.

The US and Britain condemned the move and imposed new sanctions on Iran, including a ban on Iran Air passenger flights from British airspace.

“This development and the growing cooperation between Russia and Iran threaten European security and show how Iran’s destabilizing influence extends far beyond the Middle East,” the Foreign Minister said.

He declined to confirm whether Washington would allow Ukraine to deploy long-range weapons inside Russia, but said such a decision would be influenced by several factors.

“It’s not just the system itself that matters. You have to ask yourself: Can the Ukrainians use it effectively, and sometimes that requires extensive training, which we’ve done. Are they able to maintain it?” Blinken said.

The situation for Kiev remains grim. British Defense Secretary John Healey described the war as a “critical moment” as Ukraine is under heavy air attack and at a significant artillery disadvantage.