Closing summary
In a one-on-one meeting at the White House on Friday, Joe Biden and Keir Starmer discussed pleas from Ukraine for their support to use long-range missiles in the war against Russia. No official position was announced after the roughly 20-minute meeting, during which the US president and UK prime minister also reportedly discussed challenges in the Middle East.
The meeting came after mounting pressure from both Ukraine and Russia about intervention in the war.
“We are now in the third year of a full-scale war. After so much death, destruction and countless Russian war crimes, Putin can still afford to destroy life in Ukraine as he pleases, buy and produce missiles, bombs and artillery, and issue ultimatums to the world,” Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian leader, said in a post on X on Friday before the meeting. “He expects the world to fall for his madness.”
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin threatened that if the US and UK agreed to loosen restrictions on long-range strikes into Russia, it would be seen as an act of aggression signifying Nato countries were “at war”.
“This will mean that Nato countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia,” Putin told Russian reporters on Thursday. “And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the essence of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us.”
More on these discussions – and the decisions the countries come to – are expected in the coming weeks as leaders reconvene at the United Nations general assembly later this month.
This wraps our live coverage for today. You can continue to read our expert analysis and key updates here.
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Updated
Keir Starmer has left the White House after his discussions with Joe Biden, telling reporters gathered outside that the “long and productive discussion,” focused on Ukraine, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, according to the BBC.
He did not disclose whether the two leaders agreed to support the use of long-range missiles and, though he emphasized that Ukraine has a right to defend itself, he said Putin will have to end the war.
Politico reports that no final decision was made on the use of Storm Shadow missiles, which action Putin threatened would be taken as an escalation and as Nato involvement in the war. Starmer said the issue will be taken up again at the United Nations general assembly at the end of September.
“We’ll obviously pick up again in UNGA in just a few days time with a wider group of individuals,” he told reporters.
Updated
