Ukraine renews calls for West to approve strikes deeper into Russian territory
US President Biden and UK Prime Minister Starmer met in Washington on Friday, where long-range strikes were believed to be discussed
Ukraine called on the West on Saturday to allow it to strike deeper into Russia after a meeting between US and British leaders a day earlier produced no visible shift in their policy on the use of long-range weapons.
“Russian terror begins at weapons depots, airfields, and military bases inside the Russian Federation,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak said on Saturday. “Permission to strike deep into Russia will speed up the solution.”
The renewed appeal came as Kyiv said Russia launched more drone and artillery attacks into Ukraine overnight.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called on allies to greenlight the use of Western-provided long-range weapons to strike targets deep inside Russian territory. So far, the US has allowed Kyiv to use American-provided weapons only in a limited area inside Russia’s border with Ukraine.
Discussions on allowing long-range strikes were believed to be on the table when US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met in Washington on Friday, but no decision was announced immediately after the meeting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pressing the US and other allies to allow his forces to use Western weapons to target airbases and launch sites further afield as Russia has stepped up assaults on Ukraine’s electricity grid and utilities before winter.
