Ukraine will submit to the administration of US President Joe Biden targets in Russia that it could hit with long-range US weapons. This is the latest attempt to convince Washington to lift the restrictions.
Politico writes about this, citing sources, Babel reports.
Although Ukraine had provided the US with a list of some potential targets in Russia earlier, this one will be more detailed. According to three interlocutors of the publication, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and the head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak will visit Washington this week and submit the list to the American side.
For months now, the US has believed that lifting restrictions on long-range strikes would not be of strategic importance in a war because Russia has moved its most important targets, including aircraft, away from the border – and made them out of reach.
But Kyiv has identified several important targets that Ukraine could hit with American missiles. So it is hoped that the new list of targets will make President Biden change his mind.
At the same time, Ukraine insists that lifting all restrictions is necessary because it will give the military more freedom to fight Russia within its borders. However, senior U.S. officials fear that lifting the restrictions will lead to an escalation and provoke Russia to launch even more aggressive attacks on Ukraine.
Unnamed Ukrainian lawmakers and officials say they see signs that some in the Biden administration are considering lifting the restrictions in the coming days. A Democratic lawmaker also told Politico that the US is considering Kyiv’s request. At the same time, the White House has not officially announced a change in its policy.
After Russia’s largest air attack on August 26, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s allies should lift all restrictions on the use of weapons.
