Ukraine's Defence Minister tells US counterpart Ukraine must have right to strike Russian territory with Western weapons

The Ukrainian and US defence ministers, Rustem Umierov and Lloyd Austin, discussed the situation in the combat zone and US military aid for Kyiv on 29 May.

Source: European Pravda, citing Umierov on Facebook

Details: During the conversation, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, briefed Austin on the situation in the combat zone. Umierov reported separately on the mobilisation process and brigade recovery.

Quote from Umierov: "The issues of air defence and ammunition remain our focus. Russia continues to drop guided aerial bombs all along the front line. I stressed separately that Ukraine must have the right to launch strikes on enemy territory."

Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder noted that Austin updated his Ukrainian counterparts on the latest US military aid for Ukraine, including the US$275 million package announced on 24 May.

"Secretary Austin and Minister Umierov also discussed the importance of continued strong support from allies and partners to help Ukraine continue to fight Russian aggression," he stated.

Lately Ukraine’s Western partners have been discussing a possible weakening of restrictions on the use of Western weapons in Ukrainian attacks on Russia.

Josep Borrell, head of EU diplomacy, has revealed that several European states have no objection to Ukraine using their weapons to strike targets in Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that Ukraine should be allowed to launch attacks on Russian territory. Finland has not placed any restrictions on Ukraine striking Russia with Finnish weapons either.

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