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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Keir Starmer to “show your leadership” by helping to remove restrictions on how Ukraine can use weapons supplied by its western allies.
Addressing a meeting of the cabinet in Downing Street, Mr Zelensky said being able to hit Russian territory would help prevent attacks on residential areas in Ukraine.
Pressed on the subject earlier, Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK’s provision of weapons to Ukraine “does not preclude them hitting targets in Russia, but that must be done by the Ukrainians and must be done within the parameters and the bounds of international humanitarian law.”
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the UK was having “intense discussions” on “complex questions”, but would not go into the details in public.
During his visit to Downing Street, Mr Zelensky also thanked the British government for its ongoing support, which he said would help bring an end to the war with Russia.
He was greeted to the cabinet room with a standing ovation from senior ministers.
It was the first time a foreign leader has addressed the cabinet in person since US President Bill Clinton in 1997.
Mr Zelensky’s Downing Street visit followed a meeting of the European Political Community, where the continent’s leaders agreed to tackle Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” – 600 tankers evading sanctions on Russian oil.
The vessels carry around 1.7 million barrels of oil per day. Some are also believed to be transporting weapons to Russia or acting as Russian listening stations.
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