US to consider Ukraine missile request as Russia gets Iran help
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken signaled the U.S. would hold talks on Ukraine’s use of Western long-range weapons against Russia, after confirming Moscow had received shipments of ballistic missiles from Iran.
“We’re going to look and to listen” to Ukraine’s request to lift restrictions on its use of long-range missiles, Blinken said Tuesday at a press conference with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London, signaling the U.S. is open to altering its position.
The two diplomats will travel to Kyiv on Wednesday, before UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on Friday, when Blinken said the missile issue will also be discussed.
The U.S. currently opposes Ukraine using the weapons inside Russian territory, previously citing concerns about possible Russian escalation in response.
Blinken said Iran had transferred a shipment of its Fath-360 missiles to Russia, defying months of warnings from the U.S. and its allies not to do so. The transfer represents a deepening involvement by Tehran in Russia’s war in Ukraine. The governments of France, Germany and the UK issued a joint statement condemning Iran’s move as a “direct threat to European security.”
Moscow would likely use the missiles on Ukrainian territory “within weeks,” Blinken said, confirming a Bloomberg report last week that the transfer of the weapons had taken place.
The U.S. and its allies would be announcing measures against Tehran imminently, Blinken said, including on its flag carrier Iran Air.
The state-owned airline flies to 17 international destinations including Frankfurt, London and Rome in Europe, as well as Istanbul and Dubai closer to home, according to its website, with a fleet of 17 aircraft including Airbus, Boeing and ATR models. It’s already sanctioned by the U.S.
Ukraine’s foreign minister summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires on Monday over reports of the weapons transfer to Russia, which Iran has denied.
Iran’s ballistic missiles would give the Kremlin extra flexibility in its ability to attack Ukraine, Blinken said, warning the war had entered a “critical moment.” He also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “weaponizing” energy and electricity ahead of an “intense fall fighting season.”
The trip to Kyiv will be Blinken’s fifth since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The joint visit with Lammy comes after Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk region, which has left allies and partners both impressed and worried about the long-term tactical and strategic implications.
The UK has previously indicated it is open to Ukraine striking military targets inside Russia with Britain’s Storm Shadow missiles. However, Lammy would not be drawn on his position at Tuesday’s press conference, insisting it wasn’t the right forum to have that discussion.
The Biden administration has so far vetoed the use of its long-range ATACMS missiles in Russia.
Separately, Blinken also called on Israel to turn down the “temperature” in its war against Hamas in Gaza. He said it was in everyone’s interests for a cease-fire there to be agreed.