Ukraine Gets Ready To Ask Biden Admin For More Weapons Allowances As War With Russia Drags On

Ukrainian officials are preparing to ask the Biden administration if the country can use U.S. weapons for deeper strikes inside Russian territory in the latest effort to lift restrictions on using American military equipment, Politico reported.

The Biden administration previously lifted some restrictions on U.S.-provided weapons to Ukraine in May by allowingKyiv to fire limited strikes into territory just over Russia’s borders. Ukrainian officials are now publicly demanding further allowances on U.S. weapons use, even as Russia has warned that it would broaden the scope of the war.

“There should be no restrictions on the range of weapons for Ukraine, while terrorists have no such restrictions,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address on Monday. “The United States, the United Kingdom, France, and other partners have the power to help us stop terror. We need decisions.”

Ukrainian defense officials are getting ready to present their U.S. counterparts with a list of locations in Russia they want to target in long-range strikes using American weapons, three people familiar with discussions told Politico. U.S. officials have been wary of allowing Ukraine to perform such strikes, as they do not believe it would move Kyiv any closer to victory and even potentially raise the risk that Russia becomes more aggressive in its offensive efforts.