Vladimir Zelensky‘s upcoming visit to the US next week will be his last chance to persuade President Joe Biden to authorize the use of American long-range weapons to strike Russian territory, according to the British magazine Economist.
“Zelensky will soon have a final opportunity to convince Biden to change his stance before he leaves office during their meeting in New York next week,” the article states.
As highlighted in the article, Ukrainian officials are increasingly frustrated with Washington’s restrictions on strikes on Russian territory.
On Saturday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov told CNN that Kyiv hopes to have the ban on using ATACMS long-range rockets against targets in Russia lifted.
Earlier that day, the TV channel reported that Kyiv had sent Washington a list of potential targets for attack. However, according to CNN, the US has no plans to relax the restrictions in the near future, despite repeated requests from Zelensky.
In mid-July, the Pentagon stated that the US does not permit Ukraine to use American operational-tactical rockets for “deep” strikes on Russia, but this may change.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that some alliance countries, including the UK, have initially provided Ukraine with weapons “without any restrictions.” France has also given Ukraine permission to use its Storm Shadow/SCALP long-range rockets to strike Russian regions.
