Russian ambassador to London says Starmer does not understand the situation in Ukraine

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has no understanding of the current situation in Ukraine. This was stated by Russian Ambassador to London Andrei Kelin on November 4.

"Initially, he did not make hawkish statements about Russia and Ukraine. But in recent days, after some criticism was given out, he has of course persistently insisted that all Western countries, including the UK, build up military capabilities, provide more assistance to Ukraine," he said on air of the Turkish TV channel TRT World.

According to Kelin, this fact shows that Starmer does not understand the real situation, which is moving "in a different direction."

Earlier, on November 20, Bloomberg reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) used Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russian territory for the first time. According to the agency, the UK government gave Ukraine permission to use these long-range missiles in this way, but considers its own move as an escalation of the conflict.

The Guardian later clarified that Starmer's spokesman would not comment on media reports about British long-range Storm Shadow missiles striking deep into Russia. He explained that the prime minister's office would not comment on the matter, however, according to the publication, the British missiles were actually used.

On November 21, former leader of the country's ruling Labor Party Jeremy Corbyn asked British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to immediately address the country's parliament and clarify the situation with the British Storm Shadow missiles, in particular, to inform whether they were used to strike deep into Russian territory. He added that if Storm Shadow were indeed used, it should be explained why such a decision was taken without parliamentary approval.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine amid Russia's special operation to defend Donbass, which began on February 24, 2022. The decision to carry it out was taken by the Russian president because of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to the increased shelling by Ukrainian troops.