Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs on permission to destroy Russian bombers with Western weapons
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba (photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine will eventually receive permission from Western partners to conduct strikes with provided weaponry against Russian bombers. This will enable Ukrainian forces to target enemy aircraft at airfields within the Russian territory and prevent cruise missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba.
The official noted that to change the trend on the front line and the situation with enemy air strikes on Ukrainian territory, there are many components and many decisions that need to be made.
"Some of them depend on us, and we make these decisions. Some decisions are made by our partners, and they also tend to understand that these decisions need to be made," he said.
First and foremost, Kuleba commented on permission to use Western weaponry outside Ukraine's borders against Russian military targets.
"However, if I had to name two main decisions that need to be made to turn the tide you mentioned, I would name the destruction of Russian bombers at airfields and in the air. This is a real sore point for our Ground Forces," emphasized the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
According to him, the main reason for the success of Russian forces that the Ukrainian side considers is simply the endless number of guided bombs they drop on our ground forces.
"They massively destroy and kill, and sometimes simply level positions to the ground, leaving nothing to defend," Kuleba explained.
"Regarding the decisions that will allow us to destroy Russian bombers, they are already being prepared. We are working on this. I am confident that these decisions will be made," stated Kuleba, adding that it's just a matter of time.
"The threat from these bombers is immensely high. We cannot intercept a guided bomb just in the air. Therefore, the only way to avoid this is to destroy the bomber. We can do this by striking aircraft on airfields or by shooting them down in the air," he explained.
Therefore, Kuleba summarized that Ukraine needs long-range missiles to reach the airfields or an adequate number of air defense systems and interception means to shoot down these aircraft from the air.
"Sooner or later, this will happen. We are asking our partners to make it happen as quickly as possible," added the official.
Strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation
Since the beginning of Russia's large-scale military aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian defense forces were unable to use Western-provided weaponry to strike within Russian territory. However, after a new offensive by the Russian army in the Kharkiv region in May, Kyiv intensified calls to the US and Western countries to grant the Ukrainian Armed Forces this right.
Only by the end of May, after support from several NATO countries for strikes against Russia, did the White House give Ukraine a green light, albeit with certain restrictions. The US currently does not allow deep strikes into Russia, but Ukraine can attack Russian troops, positions, and launchers along its border.
Furthermore, experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) recently reported that the US has permitted Ukrainian forces to attack only those Russian units and objects on Russian territory that are preparing to strike Ukrainian territory or Ukrainian positions or are already attacking them.
