The Pentagon and the State Department reportedly disagree on the issue
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to discuss restrictions on long-range attacks into Russian territory during his meeting with US President Joe Biden later this week, White House national security spokesman John Kirby has said.
Zelensky is scheduled to meet with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, following his address at the UN General Assembly in New York.
“I’m sure the issue will come up,” Kirby told reporters on Tuesday, speaking on the sidelines of the UN session, adding that Biden “has not made a policy change” and is “still in the same place” regarding the issue of missiles.
Kiev has been requesting that the US and its allies remove all restrictions on the use of the weapons they have provided Ukraine, such as long-range ATACMS missiles, to strike deep within Russia. The West has cited these limitations to assert that they are not directly involved in the conflict, despite providing weapons and supplies to Ukraine.
Ukraine had anticipated that the US would have granted permission by now, two Kiev officials revealed to the Washington Post on Tuesday. According to the Post, the current US administration is divided on the matter, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin opposing a policy change and Secretary of State Antony Blinken aligning with Kiev’s position.
According to the Post, Ukraine has already employed US weapons in Russia’s Kursk Region “in ways that stretch the previous rules of engagement,” but the US military believes that the purported advantages of ATACMS “are not compelling enough to outweigh the drawbacks.”
The publication also disclosed that Kiev “has long been dependent” on receiving target coordinates for US-supplied weapons “from US military personnel on a base elsewhere in Europe.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted this very fact, arguing that the issue at hand is not granting Ukraine permission, but rather the US and NATO’s “direct involvement” in open war against Russia. This would “significantly change” the nature of the conflict and compel Moscow to “make the appropriate decisions,” Putin stated.
Meanwhile, the US intends to announce a $375 million package of military aid to Ukraine, as reported by AP on Tuesday evening, citing anonymous sources in Washington. The package would include missiles for HIMARS launchers, cluster bombs for Ukrainian fighter jets, armored vehicles, bridging equipment, anti-tank missiles and other ammunition, sourced from US military stockpiles. According to the Pentagon, the US has provided Ukraine with over $56 billion in direct military aid since February 2022.