Ukraine Presses US on Allowing Missile Strikes Deep Within Russia
Sitting beside senior US defense officials at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy once again made his case that Ukraine should be able to use Western-provided missiles to strike targets deep into Russian territory on Friday....
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Facts
- Sitting beside senior US defense officials at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy once again made his case that Ukraine should be able to use Western-provided missiles to strike targets deep into Russian territory on Friday.[1]
- Zelenskyy said that 'long-range capability' was required 'on the Russian territory' in order to motivate Moscow to 'seek peace.'[1]
- Last week, senior Ukrainian officials, including Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, traveled to Washington to make the same case. However, the US has been reluctant to provide authorization beyond current parameters; including allowing Ukrainian ATACMS strikes on Crimea and limited strikes on Russian regions bordering Ukraine.[2]
- On Friday, Zelenskyy also appealed once again for missile defense systems, stressing that the 'number of air defense systems not yet delivered is significant,' adding that Ukraine must receive every promised military aid package 'without delay.'[3]
- Prior to Friday's meeting in Ramstein, the US announced a $250M military aid package for Ukraine. 'It will surge in more capabilities to meet Ukraine's evolving requirements, and we'll deliver them at the speed of war,' Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.[4]
- Meanwhile, according to sources who spoke to Reuters, officials from US Pres. Joe Biden's administration were also in urgent talks with Congress to allow it to use $6B of allotted aid to Ukraine before a Sept. 30 deadline.[5]
Sources: [1]Associated Press, [2]CNN, [3]POLITICO, [4]CBS and [5]Reuters.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by POLITICO. Lifting Ukraine's restrictions on weapons would allow it to better defend itself by striking Russian sites that launch missiles into Ukraine with impunity. This would help Ukraine's war effort, push Putin to negotiate for peace, and save Ukrainian lives.
- Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. The US needs to think long and hard about whether to allow Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range weapons. Ukraine knows the only way it can possibly win this conflict is by drawing in the US and UK into the fight, and that's what it hopes to achieve by striking Russia with their weapons, even if it leads to the outbreak of World War III.
