A leading Ukrainian politician has criticized Labor for being too slow in helping his country and abandoning British leadership in the war effort as was the case under previous governments.
Dmytro Kuleba, Kiev’s former foreign minister, said Sir Keir Starmer’s government had broken with previous governments by “simply following the Americans”.
“The Conservatives coordinated with the Americans, but they did not limit themselves to just following the Americans,” he said. The times. ‘This is the change that came with Labour. They took a stand that they would follow the Americans.”
President Zelensky has relied on Britain to boost Western support for Ukraine, with many countries following London’s example during the war, for example supplying tanks and long-range missiles.
But while Boris Johnson was the first Western leader to visit Kiev after Russia’s large-scale invasion and Rishi Sunak followed suit to show Britain’s continued support, Starmer has not visited the country, increasing concerns in Kiev that his government less willing to play diplomatic gambles.
‘Boris Johnson has set the threshold high. Rishi Sunak had no choice but to cross the threshold and push it even further,” Kuleba said.
‘When the Labor government came into office we were given rock-solid assurances that things would remain as they were. For the most part, that was the case – except for the story with the Storm Shadows.”
Kuleba, who resigned in September, said he had an “unpleasant conversation” with British officials weeks before his resignation when there was a dispute over the delivery and use of Storm Shadow missiles on Russian territory.
Paramedics evacuate a woman from the scene of a Russian missile attack, amid the Russian attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, December 10, 2024
Dmytro Kuleba, Kiev’s former foreign minister, said he had an ‘unpleasant conversation’ with British officials weeks before his resignation
Burning buildings are seen at the scene after a Russian drone strike in the Chernihiv region, Ukraine, early Friday, December 13, 2024
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the European Political Community summit in Budapest last month
“It was the first unpleasant conversation since the beginning of the large-scale invasion,” he said. “Maybe the reason was that the new government was cautious and did not want to make hasty decisions.”
The Labor government gave Kyiv the green light to use Storm Shadow missiles on Russian territory after US President Joe Biden approved US ATACMS for use in cross-border attacks.
It came as part of an effort by Ukrainian supporters to consolidate their power before Donald Trump takes power in the United States.
The newly elected president has promised to ‘end the war within 24 hours’ and that is expected to happen pushing for a quick agreement to end the fighting when he takes office in January.
That has fueled fears in Kiev and Europe that Ukraine could be pushed to make major concessions to Moscow after nearly three years of fighting the Kremlin’s invasion.
In late November, Trump told Time: “I strongly disagree with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that?’
NATO chief Mark Rutte will hold talks with President Zelensky and several European leaders on Wednesday, with discussions expected to focus on their continued support for Ukraine and the need for additional air defense.
European officials said leaders expected to attend include Sir Keir Starmer, along with his French, German and Polish counterparts.
The meeting comes as Ukraine’s European allies have begun discussing the possibility of stationing foreign troops in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.
Vladimir Putin today boasted that his troops have the initiative along the front line.
The Russian army said on Monday it had captured another village in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, where its forces were steadily advancing.
Ukrainian soldier from the 24th Brigade fires an RPG during a training exercise in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on December 15
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that its forces had “liberated” the village of Yelyzavetivka, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Kurakhove, a resource-rich town that Russian forces also tried to capture.
In November, Russia captured an area the size of London while suffering the highest casualty rate of the war.
With more manpower and weapons, the Russian army swept through the eastern Donetsk region in 2024.
Russia has also claimed in recent weeks to have made advances in the western Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a surprise offensive in the summer.
Ukraine said on Monday its forces had killed or wounded at least 30 North Korean soldiers deployed by Russia to fight in Kursk.
“On December 14 and 15, army units from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) suffered significant losses near the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba and Martynovka in the Kursk region of Russia – at least thirty soldiers were killed and wounded,” the Ukrainian newspaper said. according to military intelligence.