US Senator Graham believes that restrictions on Ukraine's use of weapons should be lifted
Photo: Senator Lindsey Graham of the Republican Party (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The decision of Ukraine to enter the territory of the Kursk region was remarkable. That's why the United States should be more flexible in its permissions regarding the use of weapons provided to Ukraine, states Republican Senator Lindsey Graham during a briefing in Kyiv.
An RBC-Ukraine correspondent asked Graham whether the United States could lift all restrictions on the use of American weapons by the Ukrainian military. The senator responded that Ukraine should use the weapons in a way that makes Russia "truly realize what is happening."
"Long-range artillery has allowed Ukraine to go on the offensive and move Russia back. The F-16s need to be allowed to operate to the maximum benefit of protecting Ukraine from an invasion. So the limitations on the weapons need to end so that we can make it real to Russia what happens if they continue to try to destroy Ukraine," Graham said.
In his opinion, Ukraine's ground forces entering Russian territory was a brilliant and bold move made by people willing to fight for their own freedom.
"So the weapons we provided should be used to the maximum effect of maintaining this democracy, making sure it survives this invasion, and the weapons we're providing not only is helping Ukraine, it will deter others. If we do this right, other aggressors throughout the world will be less likely to invade their neighbor if we stood with Ukraine and prevailed," the senator stated.
He believes that US officials need to lift the restrictions that hinder the full use of weapons to deter Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"Let's think long-term about Ukraine, not short-term. Let's have strategic agreements that have a relationship to the United States and Ukraine economically as far as the eye can see, and we will win this war," he emphasized.
What preceded
On August 6, fighting began in the Kursk region. At that time, the Russians started accusing Ukrainian forces of breaching the border. However, the presence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region was first confirmed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday, August 12.
Earlier, John Kirby, the Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council of the White House, stated that the United States is awaiting information from Ukraine regarding the incident at the border with Russia in order to "better understand" what is happening in the Kursk region.
For more details on what is happening in the border areas of the Russian Federation, read our material How 'Kursk breakthrough' could boost Ukraine power for negotiations.
