Biden to talk about missile strikes on Russia with Zelensky, says White House
The Pentagon and the State Department are said to be at odds regarding the issue, as Ukraine advocates for it openly. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The Pentagon and the State Department reportedly disagree on the issue.
Vladimir Zelensky is anticipated to address the topic of restrictions on long-range attacks into Russian territory during his upcoming meeting with US President Joe Biden later this week, according to White House national security spokesman John Kirby.
Zelensky is set to meet with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, following his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York.
“I’m sure the issue will come up,” Kirby informed reporters on Tuesday while speaking at the UN session. He added that Biden “has not made a policy change” and is “still in the same place” regarding the missiles.
Kiev has been urging the US and its allies to remove all restrictions on the weapon systems supplied to Ukraine, including long-range ATACMS missiles, to enable strikes deep within Russia. The West has cited these limitations as a means to maintain that it is not directly involved in the conflict, despite providing arms and support to Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials indicated to the Washington Post on Tuesday that they expected the US to grant permission by now. The report mentions a division within the current US administration; Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is opposed to changing the policy, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken supports Kiev's stance.
According to the Post, Ukraine has already utilized US weapons in Russia’s Kursk Region “in ways that stretch the previous rules of engagement.” However, the US military assesses that the potential advantages of using ATACMS “are not compelling enough to outweigh the drawbacks.”
The report also highlighted that Kiev “has long been dependent” on receiving target coordinates for US-provided weapons “from US military personnel on a base elsewhere in Europe.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently emphasized this issue, arguing that granting permission to Ukraine is not the core matter, but rather the potential for the US and NATO to become “directly involved” in open conflict with Russia. He stated that this involvement would “significantly change” the nature of the conflict and would require Moscow to “make the appropriate decisions.”
In the meantime, plans are underway in the US to announce a $375 million military aid package for Ukraine, as reported by AP on Tuesday evening, citing anonymous Washington sources. This assistance is expected to include missiles for HIMARS launchers, cluster bombs for Ukrainian fighter jets, armored vehicles, bridging equipment, anti-tank missiles, and other ammunition drawn from US military stockpiles. According to the Pentagon, the US has supplied Ukraine with over $56 billion in direct military aid since February 2022.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
Vladimir Zelensky is anticipated to address the topic of restrictions on long-range attacks into Russian territory during his upcoming meeting with US President Joe Biden later this week, according to White House national security spokesman John Kirby.
Zelensky is set to meet with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, following his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York.
“I’m sure the issue will come up,” Kirby informed reporters on Tuesday while speaking at the UN session. He added that Biden “has not made a policy change” and is “still in the same place” regarding the missiles.
Kiev has been urging the US and its allies to remove all restrictions on the weapon systems supplied to Ukraine, including long-range ATACMS missiles, to enable strikes deep within Russia. The West has cited these limitations as a means to maintain that it is not directly involved in the conflict, despite providing arms and support to Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials indicated to the Washington Post on Tuesday that they expected the US to grant permission by now. The report mentions a division within the current US administration; Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is opposed to changing the policy, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken supports Kiev's stance.
According to the Post, Ukraine has already utilized US weapons in Russia’s Kursk Region “in ways that stretch the previous rules of engagement.” However, the US military assesses that the potential advantages of using ATACMS “are not compelling enough to outweigh the drawbacks.”
The report also highlighted that Kiev “has long been dependent” on receiving target coordinates for US-provided weapons “from US military personnel on a base elsewhere in Europe.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently emphasized this issue, arguing that granting permission to Ukraine is not the core matter, but rather the potential for the US and NATO to become “directly involved” in open conflict with Russia. He stated that this involvement would “significantly change” the nature of the conflict and would require Moscow to “make the appropriate decisions.”
In the meantime, plans are underway in the US to announce a $375 million military aid package for Ukraine, as reported by AP on Tuesday evening, citing anonymous Washington sources. This assistance is expected to include missiles for HIMARS launchers, cluster bombs for Ukrainian fighter jets, armored vehicles, bridging equipment, anti-tank missiles, and other ammunition drawn from US military stockpiles. According to the Pentagon, the US has supplied Ukraine with over $56 billion in direct military aid since February 2022.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
