The British Foreign Secretary and his US counterpart clearly had a mandate that was limited to solidarity.
Volodymyr Zelensky has been very clear about what he wants from the United States and the United Kingdom. In recent weeks, the Ukrainian president has repeatedly urged his Western allies to lift their restrictions on the use of long-range weapons to strike deep inside Russian territory.
“We think it is wrong,” Zelensky stated regarding the current limitations on the use of Western-supplied missile systems. “We need to have this long-range capability,” he emphasized during a meeting of Ukraine’s supporters at a US military base in Germany on 6 September. Ahead of his meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Kyiv on 11 September, Zelensky expressed hope for “some strong decisions on this.”
However, despite Zelensky’s urgent plea, neither Lammy nor Blinken delivered the breakthroughs he was seeking. Their mandate appeared to be focused solely on offering solidarity, not on advancing significant policy changes regarding military support. The two senior diplomats’ visit to Kyiv was marked by expressions of unwavering support for Ukraine, but they refrained from committing to any new steps that would authorize Ukraine to use long-range missile systems against Russia.
The visit highlighted the delicate balancing act that both the UK and the US are managing in their support for Ukraine. While both nations have been steadfast in their backing of Ukraine’s sovereignty and defense efforts, they are also constrained by domestic politics and the broader international implications of escalating the conflict. The reluctance to approve the use of long-range weapons reflects these concerns.
Zelensky’s frustration was palpable, as he faces an ongoing war against a much larger adversary. The strategic necessity of long-range missile capabilities has become even more pressing as Russia continues to target Ukraine’s infrastructure and critical sites. Yet, despite his calls, the response from Lammy and Blinken was restrained, focusing primarily on reaffirming their countries’ support without offering the concrete military assistance Ukraine desperately seeks.
The lack of a concrete commitment from the UK and the US underscores the growing challenge Ukraine faces in securing the resources needed to mount an effective defense against Russia. Zelensky’s diplomatic efforts may have strengthened Ukraine’s relationship with its Western allies, but they also reveal the limits of that support as both Lammy and Blinken held firm to a position of cautious solidarity rather than decisive action.
As the war continues and Ukraine faces increasing pressures, it remains to be seen whether these diplomatic visits will ultimately result in a shift in policy or if Ukraine will need to seek alternative avenues to obtain the weaponry it so desperately desires.
