Image source, Getty Images

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced new sanctions against the Russian media channel RT, accusing it of being a "de facto arm of Russia's intelligence apparatus”.

Blinken tells reporters that RT is part of a network of Russian-backed media outlets which have sought to covertly "undermine democracy in the United States".

He adds that the Russian government has "embedded within RT, a unit with cyber operational capabilities and ties to Russian intelligence".

The network, he says, has also sought to influence Moldova's politics in coordination with Russian intelligence ahead of presidential elections in October 2024.

When the US imposed sanctions on some of RT’s top editors last week, the state-funded media organisation reacted with contempt: “Three things are certain in life: death, taxes and RT’s interference in the US elections.”

Image source, EPA

The US is not planning any change in the limits it has placed on Ukraine's use of US-made weapons to hit Russian territory, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has said.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is believed to be seeking the blessing of US President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to use British and French-made Storm Shadow missiles to hit Russia.

Asked about the issue at a press briefing, Kirby said: “I can’t speak for the British or the French.

“I wouldn’t be looking for an announcement today about long-range strike capabilities inside Russia, certainly anything by the United States.

“There’s no change to our policy with respect to that.”

Gordon Corera
Security correspondent

Ukraine has long been pressing to be able to use the Storm Shadow missiles deeper inside Russia.

It hopes they will help relieve some of the pressure on the front-lines in the east of Ukraine as well as perhaps protect their incursion into Kursk.

The missiles have a range of at least 250km and are particularly effective against hardened targets – things like bunkers, command posts and ammunition depots.

Military analysts say they are less likely to be used against airfields or aircraft. And there is also a recognition that Russia may have already started moving some targets like aircraft further out of reach.

All of this suggests the missiles are unlikely to be a game-changer in the war, especially because not that many may be available. But their importance is political as well as military.

They have become a test of Western commitment to continue its support for Ukraine to not to be deterred by Russian threats.

Overcoming delay and division to get approval for their use will be a boost for Ukraine. And that is why some are pressing for their use despite the risks of antagonising Moscow.

Image source, Getty Images

Vladimir Putin is bluffing over his red line on long-range missiles and there's nothing more "conventionally that he can actually do that he's not already doing", according to former CIA director David Petraeus.

Speaking to the BBC's Ukrainecast podcast, General Petraeus - who led American and international forces in Afghanistan and Iraq before taking over the intelligence agency - says the potential lifting of restrictions over the use of long-range weapons inside Russia was "long overdue" and "it's never too little too late".

Asked if he was saying that President Putin was bluffing, General Petraeus says: "I am. I think he has established innumerable red lines before. The Ukrainians and or Western countries have crossed just about all of them.

"He's even rattled the nuclear sabre so much so that his own biggest ally and partner China, President Xi, said don't even think about that.

"As did [Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi], an important customer in India for Russian crude oil and so forth. So no, I don't think there's anything more conventionally that he can actually do that he's not already doing."

If you'd like to hear the interview in full, it's available on BBC Sounds here.

Matt Murphy
BBC News

One ex-US official has told the BBC that there remains deep scepticism in the White House over allowing Ukraine to strike within Russia using Storm Shadow missiles.

The official tells me many within the White House and the Pentagon are unconvinced of the utility of granting Ukraine permission to expand its strike range.

They say that it remains unclear whether the move would have any material effect on the conflict.

Image source, Volodymyr Zelensky / X

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

In a statement after they met on the sidelines of a conference in the capital, Johnson says it is "obvious" that Ukraine should be allowed to use long-range missiles to target Russian territory.

"It is vital that Ukraine should be able to defend itself properly by stopping the appalling Russian attacks with glide bombs and now Iranian missiles.

"Every day that goes by means more pointless and tragic loss of Ukrainian lives," he adds.

Writing on X, Zelensky says: "I am grateful for [Johnson's] attention to Ukraine and support in providing the necessary international assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion."

According to the president's official website, the pair also discussed the "importance of increasing military, political and economic assistance to Ukraine".

Here's a brief recap of the diplomatic and political twists and turns so far:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the West not to let Ukraine use long-range weapons to target inside Russia, suggesting Nato would risk being at war his country

• The UK Foreign Office described as "ludicrous" the Kremlin's accusations that six British diplomats it expelled had been spying
• It comes as US President Joe Biden prepares to discuss how Ukraine uses its Western-made missiles with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer - the pair are due to meet in Washington DC later this evening

• A US newspaper has suggested Biden may approve the use of Anglo-French Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of around 250km (155 miles)
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the West is too "afraid" to consider shooting down Russian missiles and drones aimed at Ukraine, as it has shot down Iranian missiles fired at Israel
• At least 11 civilians have been killed by Russian strikes across eastern Ukraine in the last day, according to local officials

Chris Mason
Political editor

A new prime minister and his foreign secretary were, this lunchtime, in the long corridors and beneath the giant chandeliers of the British Embassy here in Washington.

Sir Keir Starmer and David Lammy were diplomatically limbering up for this evening’s meeting with the president - at a briefing with the UK’s Ambassador Karen Pierce.

Publicly, words are chosen with caution, not least because the diplomatic shuttling in plain sight – Lammy was in Kyiv just days ago – has itself prompted a response from Moscow.

At the heart of this trip, a big strategic call: allow Ukraine to fire western missiles into Russia, or not? We appear to be edging towards the answer to that being "yes".

A public, definitive answer is not expected, quite yet, though; seeking Western coordination and agreement and quickly the aim for now, as some fret about what Moscow might do in retaliation and others urge the West to crack on.

A conflict without obvious end presents, too, no end of thorny dilemmas based around a recurring theme: what could be the consequences of action? And what could be the consequences of inaction?

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is due to meet US President Joe Biden at the White House for talks later this evening.

Among the topics expected to be discussed is whether Ukraine should be allowed to use Western-supplied long-range missiles to hit Russian territory.

Nato countries have so far been reluctant to remove restrictions on the use of the weapons for fear of escalating the conflict.

Reports have suggested Starmer will ask Biden to give his blessing to Ukraine’s use of UK and French-made Storm Shadow missiles, whose range is long enough to hit Russia.

The UK wants to get the green light from the US in order to maintain a coordinated strategy with the US and France, the New York Times is reporting.

But the newspaper also says, citing US officials, Biden is eager to give that green light, but hasn't yet made a final decision. On Tuesday, Biden said his administration was "working that out right now".

European officials, quoted by the paper say that, when it comes to US-made weapons, Biden plans to continue with the more cautious approach he has taken so far.

Image source, Reuters

Over in New York, the United Nations Security Council has just held a meeting.

Russia's UN ambassador has told the body that Nato countries would be "conducting direct war with Russia" if Ukraine is allowed to use long-range missiles in Russia.

Vassily Nebenzia says the Western military alliance would be a "direct party to hostilities against a nuclear power".

"I think you shouldn't forget about this and think about the consequences," he warns.

For context: Russia is one of five permanent members of the Security Council - alongside the US, UK, France and China - which means it has the power to veto all motions at the UN body.

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Just how much difference will it make to the war in Ukraine if the US does allow Kyiv to fire long-range missiles into Russia? And is it really the escalation Putin claims it to be?

Short answer: some, but not much.

Ukraine does not have many Storm Shadow missiles and Britain does not have many more to give, so the numbers are quite small. It has already been using them, with Western help in geospatial targeting, against targets in Russian-occupied Ukraine, notably Sevastopol in Crimea.

Justin Crump, from Sibylline risk consultancy, points out that since Moscow formally annexed those territories then, in the Kremlin’s view, Ukraine has already been firing these missiles into Russia.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has identified around 200 Russian bases that would be in range of Storm Shadows fired from Ukraine.

Some further additional bases would come into range if the US approves the use of ATACMS missiles in Russia.

But it has been widely reported that, in anticipation of this permission being given, Russia has already moved the bulk of its air assets and ammunition deeper into Russia, beyond the range of Ukraine’s missiles.

Image source, National Police Of Ukraine

Ukraine is calling to be allowed to use western missiles as a means of preventing Russian strikes on it's own soil, which officials say have killed at least 11 civilians in the last day.

Two were reportedly killed on Friday morning by a Russian guided bomb attack in Sumy, the northern region that Ukraine has used as a staging point for its incursion into Russia's Kursk district.

Four are reported to have died in the Kharkiv region.

Four more have died in Donetsk, near the war's main frontline, and one in Kherson in the south.

Volodymyr Zelensky has said the West is too "afraid" to consider the possibility of shooting down Russian missiles and drones aimed at Ukraine, despite it helping Israel do so.

Speaking at a conference in Kyiv, Ukraine's president says if allies are "jointly shooting down missiles and drones in the sites of the Middle East, why is there still no similar decision to jointly shoot down Russian missiles and Shaheds (Iranian drones) in the skies of Ukraine?".

For context: In April, the US, the UK and France helped shoot down Iranian missiles fired at Israel. Iran said its actions were in retaliation for an attack on its consulate in Syria.

"They are afraid to even say 'we are working on it'," the Ukrainian leader says.

His comments come as Russian leader Vladimir Putin warns the West that if Ukraine is allowed to use Western arms on Russian soil, it would mean Nato countries are "directly participating" in the conflict.

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Today’s announcement by Russia of earlier diplomatic expulsions, and the UK’s subsequent retort, have driven up tensions once again between Moscow and the West.

And yet the decisions taken now, at what many are calling a critical juncture in the Ukraine war, need to be made with cool, clear heads.

Ultimately, it comes down to this: should we take Vladimir Putin’s threats seriously?

There are good reasons both for and against. Each time he’s warned the West he's not bluffing, it turns out he has been. He was just hoping to scare Nato into not sending main battle tanks, F16s or long-range artillery to Ukraine.

Both China, Moscow’s most powerful ally, and the West have warned Russia not to even think of using nuclear weapons in this conflict.

Putin likes to remind everyone that he still controls the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear warheads and that still focuses minds in Washington and elsewhere.

But there are far easier, and less risky ways that he can make trouble for his Western adversaries, whether it's hiring Bulgarian criminal proxies in London or arming Houthi rebels in Yemen.

So, balancing his likely response against the benefits of lifting restrictions on Ukraine will be very much a part of the discussions going on behind closed doors in Washington.

While Russia and the West trade diplomatic blows, ordinary Russians have been speaking to the BBC's team in Moscow about the possibility of Ukraine sending missiles into their home territory.

One, Valentina, says she isn't afraid of any missiles reaching her home in Siberia, but that she worries about those in Moscow who might be at risk:

Another, Alexander, says if the West wanted to attack Russia, it would have done so a long time ago:

Another woman, who the BBC is choosing not to name due to the risks for people in Russia of speaking out against the war, says she is worried and believes it should end:

Sarah Rainsford
BBC Eastern Europe Correspondent

The timing of this seems no accident.

The announcement that Russia has expelled British diplomats comes as discussions take place in Washington about letting Ukraine using long-range Western missiles inside Russia.

Only, the British Foreign Office – which calls the allegations of subversive activity "‘completely baseless" – also says its staff had their accreditation revoked last month. I understand they left Moscow weeks ago.

So why shout about it now? It may be a warning shot of worse to come, if the missile deal goes ahead.

But it’s perhaps more likely the FSB security service using the expulsion to make a bigger point - including a claim that the British Foreign Office has a whole department dedicated to the "strategic defeat" of Russia.

That’s about reinforcing the twisted narrative within Russia, which paints the West as the enemy and Russia a supposedly "innocent" victim of external pressure and plots.

Vladimir Putin has issued a warning against the UK and US lifting their restrictions on Ukraine using long-range missiles against targets inside Russia.

Britain and France have already sent Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, but with the caveat that Kyiv can only fire them at targets inside its own borders.

The missiles are launched from aircraft, then fly at close to the speed of sound, hugging the terrain, before dropping down and detonating its high explosive warhead.

It has a maximum range of around 250km (155 miles), and an eyewatering cost of nearly US$1 million (£767,000) per missile.

Storm Shadow is considered an ideal weapon for penetrating hardened bunkers and ammunition stores, such as those used by Russia in its war against Ukraine.

They have already been used with great effect within Ukraine's territory, such as in the attack on Russia’s Black Sea naval headquarters at Sevastopol a year ago.

• Read more here

As we've just reported, US President Joe Biden will host UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the White House later.

The pair are expected to discuss how Ukraine uses its Western-provided missiles during its war with Russia.

Reports say Starmer will ask Biden to give his blessing to Ukraine using the UK-French made Storm Shadow missiles. These have a range of more than 155 miles (250km), and could theoretically strike inside Russia.

As for why a green light from the US is needed - The New York Times reports that the UK wants to show a coordinated strategy with the US and France, which makes similar missiles.

The paper writes that Biden is eager to give that green light, but hasn't yet made a final decision, according to US officials. On Tuesday, Biden said his administration was "working that out right now".

The American president has so far proven resistant to allow US-made weapons to be used in the same way, and would continue with that approach, according to European officials who are also quoted by the paper.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West against allowing Kyiv to use its longer-range missiles to hit Russia, saying he would see this as “direct participation” of Nato countries in the conflict.

Our team in Washington DC has just fed through some pictures of the prime minister and foreign secretary at the British Embassy.

They are in the US for talks, with Starmer expected to meet with US President Joe Biden later this evening.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

"Baseless and ludicrous" is how the Foreign Office has described Russia’s accusations that the six British diplomats had been expelled because they were spying.

The FSB security service, Russia’s successor to the KGB, says they had been threatening Russia’s security.

The Foreign Office says the Britons left Russia some weeks ago and had already been replaced.

This does appear to be a tit-for-tat response to the expulsion in May of Russia’s defence attaché in London and the removal of diplomatic status for certain Russian properties here.

That move was part of a Europe-wide effort to curtail Russian espionage activity.

A statement from the Foreign Office says the government is "unapologetic about protecting our national interests".

Although the origins of these expulsions go back some months, the timing of today’s announcement coincides with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Washington and the increasingly heated debate over whether the West should allow Ukraine to fire long-range missiles at targets inside Russia.