Missile use inside Russia is an issue for individual allies to decide, says Nato boss

Any specific decisions on Ukraine's use of long-range missiles inside Russian territory should be made by individual Nato allies, Jens Stoltenberg, the outgoing head of the alliance, has said.

For months Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been urging Nato allies to let Ukraine fire Western-supplied missiles deep into Russia.

Such weapons include the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and British Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

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Mr Zelensky argues that the use of these weapons would limit Russia's ability to launch attacks against Ukraine.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US president Joe Biden held talks in Washington last Friday on whether to let Kyiv use these missiles against targets in Russia.

No decision was announced.

"I welcome these developments and these decisions, but it's for individual allies to make the final decisions. Allies have different policies on this," Nato Secretary General Mr Stoltenberg told LBC radio.

Some US officials doubt the use of such missiles would make much of a difference in Ukraine's battle against the Russian invaders.

And President Vladimir Putin has suggested the West would be directly fighting Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike with Western-made long-range missiles.

Mr Stoltenberg was asked about any possible Russian retaliation, replying there were "no risk-free options in the war".

"But I continue to believe that the biggest risk for us, for United Kingdom, for Nato, will be if President Putin wins in Ukraine," he concluded.