Biden not ruling out allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russia – US Secretary of State
US President Joe Biden "is not ruling out" the possibility of Ukraine receiving permission to strike Russian territory with long-range weapons.
Source: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in an interview with Sky News, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Blinken said that Biden is not ruling out allowing Ukraine to launch missiles deep into Russian territory.
Blinken made this comment after saying at a press conference in London that Iran had provided Moscow with short-range missiles and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin would "likely use them within weeks in Ukraine".
Blinken said the US has made sure that Ukraine has "what it needed, when it needed it, to be effective in repelling the Russian aggression" since the Russian invasion began in February 2022.
However, the Sky reporters say, Blinken added that Washington also had to take account of other factors, such as whether Ukrainian forces would be able to use the "sophisticated systems" provided by Western allies and whether they would be able to maintain them.
"We don't [rule out the possibility]. We never rule out. But when we rule in, we want to make sure it's done in such a way that it can advance what the Ukrainians are trying to achieve," Blinken said.
Background:
- Blinken said on 10 September that President Biden would meet with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on 13 September and discuss whether to allow the Ukrainian defence forces to strike deep into Russia.
- In recent weeks, Ukraine has been calling on its allies to lift all restrictions on strikes using their long-range weapons in Russia, explaining that this would allow Ukraine to target aircraft that launch cruise missiles and guided aerial bombs.
- In response, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said that no single weapon, including long-range missiles, would be decisive in the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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