UKRAINE has renewed its call for Western allies to allow it to “strike deeper” into Russia following a meeting between United States and British leaders.

The renewed appeal came as Kiev said Russia had launched more drone and artillery attacks into Ukraine overnight.

“Russian terror begins at weapons depots, airfields and military bases inside the Russian Federation,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak said on Saturday. “Permission to strike deep into Russia will speed up the solution.”

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called on allies to green light the use of Western-provided long-range weapons to strike targets deep inside Russian territory. 

So far, the US has allowed Kiev to use US-provided weapons only in a limited area inside Russia’s border with Ukraine.

Moscow has continued to warn that long-range strikes would provoke further escalation between Russia and the West. 

Last week Moscow officials said they believed the West had already agreed to give permission for the Ukrainians to use the weapons they provide to target Russian territory.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the Tass news agency on Saturday that the US and British governments were pushing the conflict, which began with Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022, toward “poorly controlled escalation.”

US President Joe Biden on Friday brushed off similar comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said on Thursday that allowing long-range strikes “would mean that Nato countries, the United States and European countries, are at war with Russia.”

Asked what he thought about Mr Putin’s threat, Mr Biden answered: “I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin.”

Russian and Ukrainian officials announced on Saturday that a prisoner swap, brokered by the United Arab Emirates, had taken place. 

The swap included 206 prisoners on both sides.

The swap is the eighth of its kind since the beginning of 2024, and brings the total number of prisoners exchanged to 1,994.