Biden dismisses Putin’s warnings of war with the West if Ukraine allowed to strike inside Russia

US President Joe Biden has brushed off a threat from Russia's leader Vladimir Putin about a war with the West if Ukraine's allies allow it to use weapons to strike targets deeper inside Russia.

It's a shift that Kyiv has been pressing for for weeks but no decision was immediately announced following a meeting between Biden and Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer.

"The United States is committed...to help Ukraine as a defence against Russia's onslaught of aggression. Make it clear that Putin will not prevail in this war. The people of Ukraine will prevail," said Biden, without making any reference to Western long-rang missiles.

Asked what he thought about Putin's threat, Biden answered, "I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin."

Starmer made no mention of missiles either in brief comments before official talks got under way, saying only that Ukraine was an important topic and, “I think the next few weeks and months could be crucial. Very, very important that we support Ukraine in this vital war of freedom."

Starmer's comments come two days after the British newspaper The Guardian reported that the US and UK had made the decision behind closed doors to allow Ukraine to use partly British-made Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets deeper inside Russia.

Two anonymous US officials said they believed Starmer was seeking Biden's approval to allow Ukraine to use the missiles as some of their components are made in America.

The US, concerned about any steps that could lead Russia to escalate the conflict, has moved cautiously before granting a series of earlier requests from Ukraine for specific arms, including advanced tanks, missiles and F-16 fighter jets.

Meanwhile, at the United Nations in New York, Moscow's ambassador told the