No change to US policy on long-range missiles to Ukraine expected Friday, White House says

WASHINGTON - The United States is not planning to announce any new policy on Ukraine and the use of long-range missiles on Sept 13, the White House said.

"There is no change to our view on the provision of long range strike capabilities for Ukraine to use inside of Russia," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

"I would not expect any major announcement in that regard," from discussions between US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sept 13, Mr Kirby said.

Mr Biden and Mr Starmer will meet at the White House on the afternoon of Sept 13.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pleading with allies for months to let Ukraine fire Western missiles including long-range US ATACMS and British Storm Shadows deep into Russia.

Mr Kirby said that the US was taking seriously

Russian President Vladimir Putin's warning

he would consider the West directly involved in the conflict if Ukraine fired Western-made long range missiles into Russia, but that it was not a new stance from Mr Putin.

"This is not rhetoric that we haven't heard from him before," Mr Kirby said.

"He has obviously proven capable of aggression... So, yeah, we take these comments seriously." REUTERS