Middle East and Ukraine War top US-UK talks, Blinken & Lammy to travel to Kyiv in show of support

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Tuesday put up a united front on Ukraine and the Middle East.

Blinken is in London for talks with Lammy and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are on top of the agenda.

At a time when Russia is pressing on with the assault on the strategic city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, Lammy announced in a joint press conference at the UK Foreign Office that they would travel together to Kyiv this week to show support and better understand the situation.

“On Russia and Ukraine, today I can confirm that Tony and I will be traveling to Kyiv this week — the first joint visit of this kind for well over a decade. We are the closest of allies, so I’m delighted that we will travel together, demonstrating our commitment to Ukraine,” said Lammy.

Blinken and Lammy also put a united front against Iran, which has emerged as a common irritant in both the Middle East and Ukraine. In the Middle East, Iran sponsors terrorist groups Hamas, Lebanon-based Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Houthis in the war against Israel and destabilisation of the region. It has also been supplying arms to Russia for use in the war on Ukraine.

Ahead of the talks, the US-UK deliberations were described as strategic in nature and not related to any particular tactical situation. Later in the day, Blinken is scheduled to meet British PM Starmer.

‘A critical moment for Ukraine’

As Russia continues with the invasion of Ukraine undeterred by the Kursk incursion, Blinken said it was a critical moment for the country.

Blinken further said that Putin was again employing the ‘winter playbook’ where Russia has started ramping up attacks on energy infrastructure ahead of the coldest months of winters. He called it weaponisation of energy and electricity.

‘I think it’s a critical moment for Ukraine’

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Secretary David Lammy are holding a news conference in London ahead of a visit to Ukraine later on this weekhttps://t.co/5VDjsJVAFm

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On a question related to the permission for Ukraine to use long-range weapons for deeper strikes inside Russia, Lammy said the subject would feature in talks between Starmer and US President Joe Biden in Washington DC on Friday after Lammy and Blinken’s visit to Kyiv during which their deliberations would include the topic, according to Sky News’ Deborah Haynes.

For months, Ukraine has sought permission to strike deep inside Russia with its long-range weapons. While the UK is okay with Ukraine using British Storm Shadow missiles for such strikes, the United States has not given the green light over concerns that such strikes could mark an unwarranted escalation.

The Lammy-Blinken meeting the visit to Kyiv comes at a time when Russia has closed in on the city of Pokrovsk. The city is a critical logistical and industrial hub whose loss could be catastrophic for Ukrainian war efforts. The Kursk incursion, even with the gain of large territories, has so far failed to ease the pressure on other theatres of the war.

US & UK present united front against Iran

Further stressing how Iran has emerged as a common thread in conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, Blinken said Russia has received shipments of ballistic missiles from Iran and plans to use them soon. He said the United States warned Iran both publicly and privately that such supply would “constitute a dramatic escalation”.

Blinken said, “This development and the growing cooperation between Russia and Iran threatens European security and demonstrates how Iran’s destabilising influence reaches far beyond the Middle East.”

Blinken further said that the United States will announce a fresh tranche of sanctions on Iran over the supply of missiles to Russia.

Lammy said the United States and the UK are “completely aligned on the need to tackle Iran’s malign activity in the region and beyond”.

“We are united in our desire to address these challenges together.”

David Lammy holds a press conference alongside Antony Blinken addressing the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East.https://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3

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As for the war in the Gaza Strip, Lammy said the United States and the UK are “completely aligned” to secure a ceasefire. He added that they are also aligned in the desire for a reconciliation that has a two-state solution at its heart.

Lammy further said that the United States and United Kingdom were committed to holding Iran’s efforts to undermine the global stability.