Pentagon Turns Down Latest Weapons Request from Zelensky
According to the US Department of Defense, Washington's stance on Kiev's utilization of American weapons against Russia continues to be consistent. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The Ukrainian leader has once again demanded unrestricted use of US-supplied missiles.
The US Department of Defense has reiterated that its policy regarding the use of American weapons by Ukraine against Russia remains unchanged. This statement follows Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's renewed calls for the lifting of all restrictions on Western military equipment.
These restrictions were originally implemented to enable the US and its allies to assert that they were not directly involved in the conflict with Russia while still providing Kiev with billions of dollars in arms, ammunition, equipment, and cash.
“Our policy has not changed,” Pentagon spokesperson Major-General Patrick Ryder stated on Tuesday, clarifying that while Ukraine can utilize US-supplied weapons to defend against cross-border attacks, they are not permitted for “deep strikes” into Russian territory.
On Monday, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also confirmed that there were “no changes” to the policy regarding these restrictions.
The US has somewhat relaxed its initial restrictions, which only permitted Kiev to target Russian territory that Ukraine claimed as its own, encompassing areas such as Crimea, Zaporozhye, Kherson, and the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.
Zelensky argued that these limitations hindered his military's capabilities in countering the Russian operation north of Kharkov in May and called for a complete removal of these restrictions. In response, Washington allowed “counter fires” against Russian forces across the border. In practice, Ukrainian forces have utilized US-provided HIMARS rocket launchers to attack towns, bridges, and roads instead.
“There should be no restrictions on the range of weapons for Ukraine,” Zelensky declared on Monday. “Defenders of life should face no restrictions on weapons.”
Chief of Staff Andrey Yermak and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov are expected to visit Washington later this week to present a list of targets Ukraine aims to strike, according to Politico, which cited anonymous sources. Yermak was instrumental in the initial push to relax the restrictions in May.
Concerns have been raised by China, Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia regarding the potential for the West to further relax the conditions under which supplied weapons can be used to attack Russia. Li Hui, Beijing's special representative for Eurasian affairs, expressed these worries on Tuesday.
The current US administration established firm guidelines against deep strikes into Russia following an incident in early June, when one of its ATACMS rockets armed with a cluster warhead hit a Crimean beach. Moscow subsequently accused Washington of responsibility for the devastation and suggested it might provide arms to “states and entities” worldwide that are hostile to the US in retaliation.
Lucas Dupont contributed to this report for TROIB News
The US Department of Defense has reiterated that its policy regarding the use of American weapons by Ukraine against Russia remains unchanged. This statement follows Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's renewed calls for the lifting of all restrictions on Western military equipment.
These restrictions were originally implemented to enable the US and its allies to assert that they were not directly involved in the conflict with Russia while still providing Kiev with billions of dollars in arms, ammunition, equipment, and cash.
“Our policy has not changed,” Pentagon spokesperson Major-General Patrick Ryder stated on Tuesday, clarifying that while Ukraine can utilize US-supplied weapons to defend against cross-border attacks, they are not permitted for “deep strikes” into Russian territory.
On Monday, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also confirmed that there were “no changes” to the policy regarding these restrictions.
The US has somewhat relaxed its initial restrictions, which only permitted Kiev to target Russian territory that Ukraine claimed as its own, encompassing areas such as Crimea, Zaporozhye, Kherson, and the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.
Zelensky argued that these limitations hindered his military's capabilities in countering the Russian operation north of Kharkov in May and called for a complete removal of these restrictions. In response, Washington allowed “counter fires” against Russian forces across the border. In practice, Ukrainian forces have utilized US-provided HIMARS rocket launchers to attack towns, bridges, and roads instead.
“There should be no restrictions on the range of weapons for Ukraine,” Zelensky declared on Monday. “Defenders of life should face no restrictions on weapons.”
Chief of Staff Andrey Yermak and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov are expected to visit Washington later this week to present a list of targets Ukraine aims to strike, according to Politico, which cited anonymous sources. Yermak was instrumental in the initial push to relax the restrictions in May.
Concerns have been raised by China, Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia regarding the potential for the West to further relax the conditions under which supplied weapons can be used to attack Russia. Li Hui, Beijing's special representative for Eurasian affairs, expressed these worries on Tuesday.
The current US administration established firm guidelines against deep strikes into Russia following an incident in early June, when one of its ATACMS rockets armed with a cluster warhead hit a Crimean beach. Moscow subsequently accused Washington of responsibility for the devastation and suggested it might provide arms to “states and entities” worldwide that are hostile to the US in retaliation.
Lucas Dupont contributed to this report for TROIB News
