Today's meeting between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Biden may produce a breakthrough in a decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles at targets in Russia. Biden has been resisting pressure to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to attack Russian air bases and other military installations from which Russia is launching attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets. CNN reports:
... Ahead of the meeting, US officials said they did not expect Biden would immediately sign-off on allowing US-provided Army Tactical Missile Systems — known as ATACMS — to be launched on targets inside Russia far from the Ukrainian border.
But like the US, the United Kingdom has sent its own long-range Storm Shadow missiles to Kyiv. Their use, along with use of similar weapons from France, is currently limited to within Ukraine, and any change will require US sign-off — a matter for discussion at Friday’s talks.
The president has long resisted calls from Ukrainian officials to ease restrictions on the weapons. But as the war grinds on, and as the US watches with growing concern as Iran supplies Russia with ballistic missiles, intensive discussions have been underway at the White House about a potential change.
'We’re working that out right now,' Biden said when questioned this week whether he would permit Western-provided long-range missiles to target military sites like airfields, missile launchers, fuel tanks and ammunition depots inside Russia." (our emphasis)
Ukraine has been launching its own drones / UAVs against targets inside Russia, but they lack the power and accuracy of a long-range missile. As the article notes, Iran -- and North Korea -- has been providing Russia with ballistic missiles for use against Ukraine, so the urgency to give Ukraine the approved means to defend itself would seem paramount in the decision.
At every step in Russia's war against Ukraine, Russian thug and war criminal Vladimir Putin has bluffed the West with belligerent talk, only to back off after much time was wasted. Russia is waging a terrorist campaign against Ukraine; Ukraine should at least be allowed to strike legitimate military targets from where that terrorist campaign is being launched.
BONUS:
Have you noticed when Russia gets long range weapons from Iran and North Korea that it isn’t an escalation?
— Darth Putin (@DarthPutinKGB) September 13, 2024
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