Speaker of Ukrainian Parliament discusses lifting restrictions on strikes against Russia with speaker Johnson
Photo: Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk and Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson (facebook.com/stefanchuk.official)
Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson. One of the topics of discussion was Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, reported Stefanchuk on his Facebook.
Stefanchuk revealed that he visited Italy on a working trip, where he met with Johnson.
During their discussions, he emphasized the importance of US support for Ukraine and highlighted the need for unprecedented aid. He also briefed his colleague on recent Russian terrorist attacks.
"I stressed that it is critically important to lift all restrictions on the use of American weapons and to secure approval from partners to use the provided weapons without any conditions or limitations. Ukraine should not have to defend itself with its hands tied; we need the capability to strike Russian military targets. I urged Mike Johnson to support this issue," the speaker added.
He also presented Johnson with a list of Ukraine's most urgent needs, including air defense systems and F-16 fighter jets. The parties also focused on strengthening anti-Russian sanctions and the situation in the energy sector amid ongoing Russian strikes.
Restrictions for the Ukrainian Armed Forces
The US currently prohibits Ukraine from using the supplied long-range weapons to strike Russian territory.
As of now, there have been no changes to this policy from Washington, despite persistent calls from Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to lift the restrictions.
Ukraine explains that the lifting of the restrictions is necessary to enable strikes on locations where Russian tactical and strategic aviation is based within Russian territory.
Meanwhile, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby believes that ATACMS will not be able to hit 90% of Russian aircraft, as they are stationed more than 300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
