Ukraine prepares list of Russian targets for USA in bid to lift weapon restrictions – Politico
Ukraine plans to submit a list of potential Russian targets to President Joe Biden's administration in an attempt to convince them to remove limitations on the use of American weapons. The list will serve as a final plea for Washington to consider.
Politico writes about this, referring to its sources.
It is noted that Ukraine has previously presented a list of potential targets for possible strikes by Western weapons, but this time, such a list should become even more specific.
This is expected to happen already this week during Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov's visit to the USA.
The US has believed for months that lifting the restrictions would have no strategic value in the war because Russia has moved its most important targets, including aircraft, away from the border and out of reach.
However, Kyiv has identified several important goals that it can achieve with the help of missiles provided by the United States. Ukraine hopes that this list will convince Joe Biden to change his mind.
Ukrainian officials and lawmakers insist that lifting all restrictions is necessary, believing it would give the military more freedom to fight Russia within its borders.
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It should be noted that after the start of a new offensive by Russian troops in the Kharkiv region, some European countries started a campaign to ease restrictions on the use of weapons transferred to Ukraine.
Later, the White House clarified that the permission to strike with American weapons extends to the border of the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. At the same time, the permit does not extend to ATACMS long-range missiles.
Moreover, the National Security Council of the USA explained that the permission to use American weapons on the territory of Russia is not limited only to the defense of the Kharkiv region. According to National Security Council representative Michael Carpenter, the authorization concerns the border area from where Russia is preparing its attacks on Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the United States will continue to "adapt and adjust" as needed.
In addition to the United States, Ukraine has already received permission to use the transferred weapons at its own discretion from several partners, although not from all of them.
- Sweden allowed Ukraine to use its weapons to attack the Russian Federation.
- Poland supported Ukraine's right to use Western weapons to attack Russia.
- The Czech Republic supported using partners' weapons for defense in the aggressor's territory.
- The Netherlands supported strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation with Western weapons.
- Ukraine can attack the territory of the Russian Federation with the help of weapons provided by Finland.
- Moreover, permission to use the transferred weapons for attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation was supported by the Baltic states.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, said that the partners have taken a very important and long-awaited step by allowing the use of their weapons on Russian territory, but Ukraine will continue to work on expanding the area of its use.
