But Starmer argued to broadcasters at the G20 summit in Rio that it is down to Putin alone to end the “suffering” he has inflicted on Ukraine.
“The quickest way to end this conflict is for Russia to cease, and that is the quickest, most simple and just way of ending this,” the prime minister told BBC News.
So far Starmer has refused to set out whether he will give the go-ahead for long-range missiles from Britain’s own arsenal to be used by Ukraine to strike Russia. They have only been used to date within Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory, including Crimea.
But the request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for extended use of the Franco-British weapons — which typically rely on U.S. technology for targeting — is long-standing.
Now Biden has given approval for U.S. systems to strike Russian soil, Starmer’s government is being pressed on whether it will give the same authorization.
On Tuesday the British PM argued Ukraine must “must have what it needs for as long as it needs,” in what is being seen as a sign the Ukrainian President’s demands could be met. Still, Starmer refused to set out a definitive position, arguing that going into “operational matters” would have only one winner: Putin.