Russia started this, says PM as Putin warns West

Russia "started" the struggle successful Ukraine and tin extremity it "straight away”, Sir Keir Starmer has said aft Vladimir Putin suggested Moscow would respect Western missiles being fired into Russia arsenic a superior escalation of the war.

The PM is successful Washington for talks with US President Joe Biden connected Friday, arsenic allies of Kyiv sermon giving Ukraine support to occurrence their missiles astatine targets wrong Russia.

Putin told Russian authorities tv that this would “mean thing different than the nonstop information of Nato countries - the US and European countries - successful the warfare successful Ukraine.

"It is their nonstop participation. And, of course, this substantially changes the precise essence, the quality of the conflict.”

He added: “If that is the case, we volition instrumentality corresponding decisions based connected the threats that volition beryllium created to us.”

Asked for his effect to the remarks connected his formation to Washington, the premier curate struck a robust code repeatedly stating that Russia had started the war.

“Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia tin extremity this struggle consecutive away,” helium told reporters, aboriginal adding: “To reiterate, it was Russia who started this successful the archetypal place. They caused the conflict, they’re the ones who are acting unlawfully.”

The premier curate and the Foreign Secretary David Lammy are connected a blitz of planetary diplomacy, arsenic Ukraine’s allies sermon however to respond to Iran stepping up its enactment for Russia.

Lammy told the BBC this “clearly changes the debate” arsenic helium visited Kyiv alongside the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

On Sunday, the time aft the premier curate returns from Washington, the premier curate volition alert to Rome to conscionable the Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni.

Italy presently holds the rotating presidency of the G7 radical of industrialised countries.

A week aboriginal satellite leaders volition stitchery successful New York for the yearly United Nations General Assembly.

There has agelong been a hesitancy to let Ukraine to occurrence occidental missiles into Russia, due to the fact that of fears it could beryllium seen arsenic provocative and gully the US, European countries and others straight into the conflict.

But with wintertime approaching and Russia getting other enactment from Iran, minds look to beryllium changing.

You tin work much astir the Anglo-French cruise missile, called Storm Shadow, that could beryllium utilized here.

When asked astir the imaginable of allowing the missiles to beryllium used, the nationalist remarks of elder figures stay guarded.

“There are truly important developments apt successful the adjacent fewer weeks and months, some successful Ukraine and the Middle East, and truthful a fig of tactical decisions ought to beryllium taken,” the premier curate told reporters, without disputing the contented is connected the agenda."

He noted that some the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and David Lammy had precocious visited Ukraine.

"They're evidently with america to study into the process connected a truly important associated trip.”

Speaking earlier successful the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said: “The cardinal point, is that lone servicemen of Nato countries tin input formation missions into these rocket systems.

"Ukrainian servicemen cannot bash this. Therefore this is not astir permitting oregon not permitting the Ukrainian authorities to onslaught Russia with these weapons.

"This is astir whether oregon not Nato countries instrumentality the determination to straight enactment successful the subject conflict.”

This is the premier minister’s second sojourn to Washington successful a small implicit 2 months, having travelled present successful July for the Nato Summit and a sojourn to the White House, soon aft winning the wide election.