Politico: US finalizes plans for Ukraine’s deeper strikes inside Russia with US-supplied weapons

The Biden administration is finalizing plans to ease restrictions on Ukraine's use of US-donated weapons, potentially allowing deeper strikes inside Russia, per Politico sources.

Sep 12, 2024 - 19:00
Politico: US finalizes plans for Ukraine’s deeper strikes inside Russia with US-supplied weapons

us finalizes plans ukraine's deeper strikes inside russia us-supplied weapons atacms missile launch lockheed martin

The White House is in the final stages of developing a plan to ease restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US-donated weapons, potentially allowing Kyiv to strike targets deeper inside Russian territory, according to a Western official and two other individuals familiar with the discussions, as reported by Politico on 11 September.

The potential policy shift comes as Ukraine faces significant challenges, with Russia making recent advances near the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk and launching massive air attacks on Ukraine’s power sector and cities. Currently, the US allows only GMLRS strikes on Russia within a range less than 100 km, the ATACMS missiles can strike as deep as 300 km.

According to Politico, these talks, which have been closely guarded among a small group of White House officials, signal a significant shift in the Biden administration’s approach to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. The discussions have gained urgency in recent days following the US confirmation that Iran has successfully delivered ballistic missiles to Russia.

UK quietly approves Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow missiles in Russia, US may lift similar restrictions, The Guardian says

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan hinted at this potential policy change in a June interview with PBS, stating,

“It is not about geography. It is about common sense. If Russia is attacking or about to attack from its territory into Ukraine it only makes sense to allow Ukraine to hit back.”

The plan under consideration involves expanding the area inside Russia that Ukraine can target using American and British-made weapons. Additionally, discussions have touched on allowing Ukraine to use UK long-range missiles containing American parts to strike inside Russia, aiming to prevent further cross-border attacks.

When questioned about lifting restrictions on long-range weapons, President Biden told reporters on 12 September,

“We’re working that out now.”

British officials are in talks with the US about approving Ukraine’s use of British Storm Shadow missiles in Russia, which is an expected key issue for Biden’s meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House on 15 September.

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