Keir Starmer talks up US-UK relationship – but questions remain over Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles
Sir Keir Starmer has talked up the US-UK relationship after a White House meeting with Joe Biden, but questions remain over Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles.
The prime minister travelled to Washington this week to meet with President Biden to discuss the wars in Ukraine and Gaza – among other issues.
Speaking before the “long and productive” meeting held in the White House on Friday, Sir Keir said the two countries were “strategically aligned” in their attempts to resolve the war.
Afterwards, he skirted around questions regarding Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles, saying: “We’ve had a long and productive discussion on a number of problems, including Ukraine, as you’d expect, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific, talking strategically about tactical decisions.
“This isn’t about a particular decision but we’ll obviously pick up again in UNGA (UN General Assembly) in just a few days’ time with a wider group of individuals, but this was a really important invitation from the president to have this level of discussion about those critical issues.”
Ukraine war latest: Putin threatens NATO with ‘war’
Decisions loom for Ukraine’s key Western allies as Volodymyr Zelenskyy has recently increased pressure on them to permit his forces to use long-range missiles to strike inside Russian territory.
However, despite repeated calls for a decision, the West has so far resisted green-lighting the use of the missiles.
Sir Keir Starmer and David Lammy speaking to the media outside the White House on Friday. Pic: PA
Two US officials familiar with the discussions said they believed that Sir Keir was seeking US approval to let Ukraine use British Storm Shadow missiles for expanded strikes into Russia, according to Reuters news agency.
They added that they believed Mr Biden would be amenable.
The president’s approval would be needed because Storm Shadow components are made in the US.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Military analyst Sean Bell looks at how serious Putin’s threats could be
But when speaking to journalists after the meeting, Sir Keir was repeatedly pressed on the long-range missile question but evaded giving a firm decision.
“This wasn’t a meeting about a particular capability. That wasn’t why we got our heads down today,” he said.
The US has been concerned that any step could lead to an escalation in the conflict and has moved cautiously so far, however, there have been reports in recent days that Mr Biden might shift his administration’s policy.
Vladimir Putin previously threatened the West, warning that allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike inside Russian territory would put Moscow “at war” with NATO.
Speaking to Russian state television, he insisted the decision would “significantly change” the nature of the war.
Pic: AP
He added: “This will be their direct participation, and this, of course, will significantly change the very essence, the very nature of the conflict.
“This will mean that NATO countries, US, European countries are at war with Russia.
“If this is so, then, bearing in mind the change in the very essence of this conflict, we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be created for us.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
When asked about the threats, Mr Biden brushed them aside, saying: “I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin.”
Read more:
Biden ‘not ruling out’ allowing Ukraine to fire into Russia – Blinken
Iran supplying Russia with ballistic missiles – Blinken
Analysis: Russia’s links with Iran are growing stronger
There remains some scepticism within the US over the impact that allowing Kyiv to unleash long-range missiles would have.
US officials, according to Reuters, have pointed out that Ukraine already has the capability to strike into Russia using drones, and while US missiles would enhance that they are too costly and limited in number to change the overall picture.
The founder of a cryptocurrency exchange whose namesake was tied to Anti-Money Laundering (AML) was found guilty of wire fraud and money laundering in a California court.
In a March 12 trial in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, a jury found AML Bitcoin creator Rowland Marcus Andrade guilty of two felony counts as part of a scheme to defraud investors. Authorities initially filed criminal charges against Andrade in June 2020 in parallel to a civil case filed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against the AML Bitcoin creator and the NAC Foundation, for which he was the founder and CEO.
“Mr. Andrade’s outrageous lies lured and scammed individuals into investing their hard-earned money into a new cryptocurrency with fabricated features,” said Linda Nguyen, the IRS Criminal Investigation Oakland Field Office Special Agent in Charge. “But there is nothing advanced about this scheme. Rowland Marcus Andrade stole money from innocent people and used it to further his personal wealth.”
Rowland Marcus Andrade jury verdict on March 12. Source: PACER
The SEC’s civil case against Andrade was notable for the involvement of political lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who served four years in prison between 2006 and 2010 following his conviction on mail fraud, conspiracy to bribe public officials and tax evasion. A judge agreed to stay the SEC lawsuit in January 2021 until the conclusion of Andrade’s criminal case, suggesting that it may once again proceed soon.
The June 2020 indictment alleged the NAC Foundation claimed a cryptocurrency that AML Bitcoin would launch — it never did — would comply with money laundering and Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations. Andrade used those claims for an initial coin offering between 2017 and 2018. According to the information presented at his trial, the AML Bitcoin creator diverted more than $2 million in proceeds from the sale of the platform, spending it on real estate and luxury automobiles.
Related: IRS wants court to toss crypto exec’s appeal over bank record summons
“Andrade falsely claimed, among other misrepresentations, that the Panama Canal Authority was close to permitting AML Bitcoin to be used for ships passing through the Panama Canal when no such agreement existed,” said the Justice Department.
The AML Bitcoin creator is scheduled to return to court for a sentencing hearing on July 22, having remained free on a $75,000 bond since 2020 with some travel restrictions. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the wire fraud count and 10 years for the money laundering count.
Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions
The United States Senate Banking Committee elected to advance the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act in an 18-6 vote.
None of the amendments proposed by Senator Elizabeth Warren made it into the bill, including her proposal to limit stablecoin issuance to banking institutions.
“Without changes, this bill will supercharge the financing of terrorism. It will make sanctions evasion by Iran, North Korea, and Russia easier,” Warren argued.
Senator Warren argues for amendments to be included in the bill. Source: US Senate Banking Committee GOP
Senator Tim Scott, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, characterized the bill as a victory for innovation. The Senator said:
“The GENIUS Act establishes Common Sense rules that require stablecoin issuers to maintain reserves backed one-to-one, comply with anti-money laundering laws, and ultimately protect American consumers while promoting the US dollar’s strength in the global economy.”
The bill must still pass a vote in both chambers of Congress before it is turned over to President Trump and ultimately signed into law.
However, the Senate Banking Committee advancing the bill represents the first step in clear, comprehensive legislation requested by the crypto industry.
Senator Tim Scott, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, leads the hearing. Source: US Senate Banking Committee GOP
Related: The GENIUS stablecoin bill is a CBDC trojan horse — DeFi exec
GENIUS Act gets overhaul to feature stricter provisions
Senator Bill Hagerty, who introduced the bill in February 2025, defended the legislation against the proposed amendments from Senator Warren, arguing that the bill already includes provisions for consumer protection, Anti-Money Laundering, and crime prevention.
On March 10, Hagerty announced that the bill was updated to include stricter reserve requirements for stablecoin issuers, AML provisions, safeguards against terrorist financing, transparent risk management procedures, and stipulations for sanctions compliance.
According to Dom Kwok, founder of the Web3 learning platform Easy A, the newly added provisions will make it harder for foreign stablecoin issuers to comply, giving US-based firms a competitive edge.
Senator Bill Hagerty defends his bill from proposed amendments. Source: Senate Banking Committee GOP
Attorney Jeremy Hogan said the GENIUS Act signals an impending merger of the traditional financial system with stablecoins.
“The legislation is explicitly making plans for stablecoins to interact with the traditional digital banking system. The ‘merge’ is being planned,” the attorney wrote in a March 10 X post.
During the March 7 White House Crypto Summit, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explicitly said that the Trump administration would leverage stablecoins to protect the US dollar’s global reserve status.
Magazine: Bitcoin payments are being undermined by centralized stablecoins
Bankers and their allies in the US Senate are pushing back against the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act over fears that stablecoins will disintermediate banks and erode banking market share.
According to an article from American Banker, the bill requires 60 votes to pass in the Senate, meaning that at least seven Democrats will have to vote with Republicans to push through the Act.
This could prove a difficult proposition, as US Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of crypto’s staunchest political critics, is proposing an amendment prohibiting tech firms from issuing stablecoins. Warren wrote:
“If these firms want to engage in payments, they must partner with, or facilitate transactions among, regulated financial institutions. But this stablecoin bill breaks that status quo by green-lighting big tech companies and other commercial conglomerates to issue their own stablecoins.”
Digital assets continue to be a disruptive force in finance and banking due to near-instant settlement times and cheaper transaction fees, which significantly reduce the burden of cross-border payments and introduce peer-to-peer transactions.
Page one of the GENIUS Act of 2025. Source: US Senate
Related: The GENIUS stablecoin bill is a CBDC trojan horse — DeFi exec
Stablecoins: The way forward for USD in the 21st century?
The GENIUS stablecoin bill was introduced by Senator Bill Hagerty on Feb. 4 as a comprehensive regulatory framework for tokenized US dollars.
Shortly after the bill was introduced to the US Senate, Federal Reserve Bank Governor Christopher Waller said non-banks should be allowed to issue stablecoins.
Waller argued that stablecoins could expand payment use cases, particularly in the developing world, due to their cost-savings and efficiency.
Stablecoin fees vs. legacy payment processing solutions. Source: Simon Taylor
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan told an audience at the Economic Club of Washington DC that the bank may enter the stablecoin business — likely launching its own dollar-pegged stable token.
During the first White House Crypto Summit on March 7, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US will use stablecoins to extend US dollar dominance.
Overcollateralized stablecoin issuers are collectively the 18th largest buyers of US government debt in the world — putting these firms ahead of countries like Germany and South Korea.
By adopting pro-stablecoin policies and promoting stablecoin usage worldwide, the US government can use stablecoins as a sponge to soak up inflation and protect the dollar’s status as the global reserve currency.
Magazine: Unstablecoins: Depegging, bank runs and other risks loom
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports11 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway