Washington is responding to Kyiv's request for approval to strike Russia - Politico

Sources indicate that the White House and the Pentagon continue to dismiss any suggestions that the administration is considering changing its policy regarding allowing Ukraine to use American weapons beyond very specific cases inside Russia near the border. They assert that Ukraine possesses the necessary power to achieve victory.

“There’s some indication now that Biden might want to do something big on Ukraine — maybe lifting some of the restrictions — before the election now that he’s not running. There’s no guarantee, but we’re hearing that he’s thinking about it,” one senior Ukrainian adviser said.

Storm Shadow

Part of the discussion involves allowing the use of British Storm Shadow missiles, which are already in the Ukrainian arsenal, to target airfields and supply depots within Russia. Since the missiles contain US components, the Biden administration would need to approve their use. According to officials on both sides of the Atlantic, the British government has not yet officially requested this, although it is conducting an internal review.

One administration representative mentioned that using Storm Shadow or Army Tactical Missile Systems might not be as effective as advertised. Ukrainian military stocks of these missiles are limited, and those available may not reach critical Russian targets that are already beyond their range.

The US already permits the use of its long-range missiles inside Russia, but only for defensive purposes — such as counter-battery fire — to hit Russian missile launch sites directly near the border.

Some prominent Democratic lawmakers have expressed openness to allowing Ukraine more freedom in using American weapons.

Senators' meeting with Sullivan and his response

In early August, a bipartisan coalition of senators organized a meeting with Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Sullivan has repeatedly met with senators to discuss Ukraine. According to Politico sources, the delegation had a single message: the administration should change its position now before it becomes too late.

Their argument was similar to that previously made by them and many others, including Ukrainians. They argued that the US should lift all restrictions, as failing to do so and if Ukraine loses, the administration would be known as the one that did not do enough when it could have.

Such statements sometimes angered senior officials in the White House, who insisted that Washington had done more than any other country to support Kyiv and that it should not risk its national security for Kyiv. Officials in some parts of the administration, particularly in the White House, have told Ukrainians that the US will eventually want to reset relations with Moscow, and lifting restrictions could undermine these efforts, sources told the publication.

It should be noted that one reason for the Kursk operation is Ukraine’s inability to secure itself against shelling from Russian territory using long-range weapons, thus forcing it to attempt to create a buffer zone.

Recently, Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, openly admitted on Telegram that Ukraine attacked a Russian platoon stronghold in Kursk Oblast with precision American GBU-39 bombs.

The Pentagon stated that US policy "does allow for Ukraine to conduct counter fires to defend itself from Russian attacks coming over that border region, and that border region does include Kursk, it does include Sumy," but does not fully understand the strategic objectives on the battlefield of the operation in the Kursk region.