Ukraine officials to ask US for permission to strike Russia with long-range missiles
USA flag (Getty Images)
This week, Andriш Yermak, the head of the President's Office, and Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will hold meetings with representatives of the Biden administration, aiming to persuade the United States to lift restrictions on the use of American weapons for strikes on Russian territory, citing CNN.
According to a Ukrainian lawmaker who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity, the Ukrainian side will prepare a list of strategic targets on Russian territory that need to be attacked to shift the course of the war in Ukraine's favor.
Defense Minister Umerov will meet with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, on Friday. However, it is currently unknown who Andrii Yermak will meet with.
Ukraine had previously successfully used long-range American weapons, including the ATACMS tactical missile systems, to destroy Russian air defenses in occupied Crimea. The US approved these actions at the time, but now the White House is concerned about escalation.
"We consider strikes deep into Russian territory with American weapons no more provocative than strikes with American weapons on Russian territory near the border... Both are Russian territory and it makes no difference how deep the targets are.," the Ukrainian lawmaker explained to CNN.
Ukrainian officials hope the US will understand Ukraine's arguments.
Use of US long-range missiles on Russian territory
The US has previously allowed Ukraine to use American weapons for strikes on Russian units and military facilities.
Thus, permission was granted to strike military targets with American weapons if they were located deep within Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.
In May of this year, when Russia launched a new offensive in the Kharkiv region, which was repelled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the White House once again eased some restrictions on the use of US weapons. However, the Biden administration has so far refused to allow Ukraine to carry out strikes with long-range American missiles deep into Russian territory.
Earlier, Politico reported that Ukraine would provide US national security officials with a list of long-range military targets on Russian territory.
It is also worth noting that US President Joe Biden recently announced a new aid package for Ukraine.
