US to permit Ukraine to strike Russia using long-range missiles, according to Axios
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to announce a policy change during his visit to Kiev alongside UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Washington plans to remove the restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US-provided ATACMS missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory, according to an Axios reporter citing a well-known congressional figure.
These limitations were initially imposed to help the US and its allies assert that they were not directly engaged in the conflict with Russia, despite providing Ukraine with financial support exceeding $200 billion. Since May, Ukraine has been pressing for these restrictions to be lifted.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to announce the policy shift during his visit to Kiev this week, alongside his UK counterpart, David Lammy, as reported by Axios journalist Juliegrace Brufke, who referenced Congressman Michael McCaul.
“I talked to Blinken two days ago, and he is traveling with his counterpart from the UK to Kiev to basically tell them that they will allow them [to hit Russia with ATACMS],” McCaul, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee from Texas, shared in an interview last Friday.
Blinken's visit to Kiev on Wednesday is meant to demonstrate ongoing support for Ukraine’s defense, as confirmed by State Department spokesman Matt Miller. However, no details on policy changes were provided.
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Blinken had “signaled” a shift in Washington's stance, possibly in response to claims that Iran has supplied Russia with ballistic missiles.
“We’re going to look and to listen” to Ukraine’s request, Blinken stated at a press conference with Lammy in London. He also noted that US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer would address the “missile issue” on Friday in Washington.
“We’re working that out now,” Biden said to reporters on Tuesday when asked about Ukraine’s long-range missile usage.
Blinken alleged that Iran had sent an unspecified number of Fath-360 missiles to Russia, countering months of Western warnings, and indicated that these weapons would be used against Ukraine “within weeks.”
Iran has firmly rejected these accusations, asserting that it has not supported any side in the conflict.
“No missile was sent to Russia and this claim is a kind of psychological warfare,” declared senior military commander Fazlollah Nozari to Iranian media on Monday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani added, “Iran’s accusers are the ones who are among the biggest arms exporters to one side of the war.”
The Russian ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, accused the West of being deeply entrenched in the Ukraine conflict and mentioned that the issue of arming Kiev would be discussed at the Security Council on Friday.
As recently as August 27, the Pentagon had stated that its policy regarding the use of long-range weapons had not changed. This assertion came before a visit from Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Andrey Yermak, chief of staff to President Vladimir Zelensky, who arrived in Washington with a list of Russian targets they wanted to strike.
Ukraine has routinely deployed drones as far as Moscow, famously crashing one on the Kremlin's roof in May 2023. On Tuesday, another Ukrainian drone struck a residential building in the Moscow region, resulting in one civilian fatality and three injuries.
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
These limitations were initially imposed to help the US and its allies assert that they were not directly engaged in the conflict with Russia, despite providing Ukraine with financial support exceeding $200 billion. Since May, Ukraine has been pressing for these restrictions to be lifted.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to announce the policy shift during his visit to Kiev this week, alongside his UK counterpart, David Lammy, as reported by Axios journalist Juliegrace Brufke, who referenced Congressman Michael McCaul.
“I talked to Blinken two days ago, and he is traveling with his counterpart from the UK to Kiev to basically tell them that they will allow them [to hit Russia with ATACMS],” McCaul, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee from Texas, shared in an interview last Friday.
Blinken's visit to Kiev on Wednesday is meant to demonstrate ongoing support for Ukraine’s defense, as confirmed by State Department spokesman Matt Miller. However, no details on policy changes were provided.
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Blinken had “signaled” a shift in Washington's stance, possibly in response to claims that Iran has supplied Russia with ballistic missiles.
“We’re going to look and to listen” to Ukraine’s request, Blinken stated at a press conference with Lammy in London. He also noted that US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer would address the “missile issue” on Friday in Washington.
“We’re working that out now,” Biden said to reporters on Tuesday when asked about Ukraine’s long-range missile usage.
Blinken alleged that Iran had sent an unspecified number of Fath-360 missiles to Russia, countering months of Western warnings, and indicated that these weapons would be used against Ukraine “within weeks.”
Iran has firmly rejected these accusations, asserting that it has not supported any side in the conflict.
“No missile was sent to Russia and this claim is a kind of psychological warfare,” declared senior military commander Fazlollah Nozari to Iranian media on Monday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani added, “Iran’s accusers are the ones who are among the biggest arms exporters to one side of the war.”
The Russian ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, accused the West of being deeply entrenched in the Ukraine conflict and mentioned that the issue of arming Kiev would be discussed at the Security Council on Friday.
As recently as August 27, the Pentagon had stated that its policy regarding the use of long-range weapons had not changed. This assertion came before a visit from Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Andrey Yermak, chief of staff to President Vladimir Zelensky, who arrived in Washington with a list of Russian targets they wanted to strike.
Ukraine has routinely deployed drones as far as Moscow, famously crashing one on the Kremlin's roof in May 2023. On Tuesday, another Ukrainian drone struck a residential building in the Moscow region, resulting in one civilian fatality and three injuries.
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
