Five former British Defense Ministers have called on the Head of Government to allow Ukraine to launch Storm Shadow missiles at Russia.

The Sunday Times reported that former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also joined the statement.

Former Defense Ministers Grant Shapps, Ben Wallace, Gavin Williamson, Penny Mordaunt, Liam Fox, and Boris Johnson warned Keir Starmer that any further delay would embolden President Putin.

According to Wallace, if action is not taken now, the UK will become the one trying to bring peace by acceding to the Kremlin’s demands.

Williamson called this a “dereliction of duty,” and Johnson added that “there is no reason for delay.”

Calling on the UK to act unilaterally, Shepps said:

“Instead of waiting for formal approval from the United States, Sir Keir should give President Zelensky what he desperately needs today. In this way, we have taken the position of a world leader supporting Ukraine. We acted. Others followed. And this is the leadership that Ukraine needs again today.”

The former ministers believe Britain should maintain its role at the forefront of supporting Ukraine.

“We were the first in Europe to supply lethal weapons, and we have continued to support Ukraine all the way,” Wallace said.

Williamson added that since the beginning of this war, Britain has not hesitated to take the initiative to step forward when others have hesitated.

Mordaunt and Fox argue that inaction would jeopardize Zelensky and embolden Putin.

Authorization for Storm Shadow

On Friday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer flew to Washington to discuss with President Biden Ukraine’s request for permission to use British and French-made weapons to strike Russia.

However, as the newspaper notes, the meeting ended without any agreements.

The two leaders also discussed intelligence reports that Russia shared nuclear secrets with Iran in exchange for missiles.

According to sources, the White House has allegedly made it clear that it will take a “wait-and-see” approach to granting Ukraine a permit while Zelenskyy presents his “Victory Plan.”

It is noted that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is in favor of this, but National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is against it.