Zelensky will try to convince Biden to allow American weapons to hit the Russian Federation

Maksym Petruk

Source: The Economist

Ukraine is disappointed with the US position regarding the permission to use long-range American weapons for strategic purposes on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Points of attention

Ukraine is seeking US permission to utilize American long-range weapons for strikes on the Russian Federation.
The restriction on the use of American weapons against Russia is based on political considerations rather than strategic reasoning.
Doubts persist regarding the absence of strategic targets for American weapons on Russian territory transferred to Ukraine.
The upcoming meeting between Zelensky and Biden at the United Nations General Assembly holds significance for convincing the US to adopt a new approach.
Ukraine is actively working on developing its own long-range weapons amid the discussions on using American weapons against Russia.

What is known about Ukraine's attempts to convince the US of the need for permission to use American long-range weapons for attacks on the Russian Federation

The authors of the article remind that in May of this year, the United States lifted a complete ban on the use of American weapons provided by Ukraine for attacks on the Russian Federation.

At the beginning of the offensive operation in the Kursk region, the Ukrainian military engaged American anti-aircraft missile batteries directed against the criminal army of the Russian Federation.

The United States maintains restrictions on the use of long-range American weapons received by Ukraine for strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation, citing the fact that this may lead to an unwanted escalation on the part of the aggressor country.

The unnamed officials suggested that the administration does not want to jeopardize a "reset" of relations with Moscow at some point in the future. Other officials argue that allowing Ukraine to use ATACMS systems, which have a longer range than HIMARS, against targets in Russia will not change the strategic picture because there are not enough targets within range of these systems. Russia has relocated most of the aircraft used to launch powerful glider bombs, and in any case, such a scarce resource would be better used against targets in Crimea, — the publication notes.

Does the USA have a real reason to prohibit Ukraine from using the transferred long-range weapons for strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation

In addition, the journalists of the publication state that the USA recently prohibited Great Britain and France from approving Ukraine's use of Storm Shadow/Scalp missiles for strikes on strategic objects on the territory of the Russian Federation.

This ban was possible because Storm Shadow/Scalp contains components manufactured in the USA.

According to analysts, statements about the absence of strategic targets in the area of impact of Western long-range missiles provided to Ukraine on the territory of Russia, as well as statements about the limited number of these missiles, are dubious.

In particular, the former commander of the US Army in Europe, retired General Ben Hodges, points out that the US and its allies are using excuses that are ultimately misleading.

Godges emphasized that there are no legal or moral reasons to abandon attacks on strategic objects on the territory of Russia.

According to him, a large number of representatives of the former administration of ex-president Barack Obama, who repeatedly made wrong decisions regarding Russia, continue to work in the administration of US President Joe Biden.

Mr. Zelensky will soon have his last chance to convince Mr. Biden to adopt a new approach before he leaves office when they meet next week in New York on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly, — analysts said.

At the same time, it is noted that Ukraine is actively working on the creation of its own long-range weapons.