Ukrainian officials are preparing a list of long-range targets in Russia that they plan to present to senior US national security officials. The list includes targets that Kyiv believes the Ukrainian military will be able to hit if Washington lifts restrictions on the use of US weapons. This is stated in a Politico article, reports Komersant ukrainskyi
Ukraine will try to use this list as a last-ditch effort to persuade Washington to lift restrictions on the use of US weapons in Russia. Although Ukraine has previously provided the US with information about potential targets in Russia, this list is expected to be more “targeted” and specific.
According to the newspaper, Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and President Zelenskyy ‘ s senior adviser Andriy Yermak will be in Washington this week to present the list to the White House administration. Three people with knowledge of Ukrainian affairs have confirmed this to the publication.
The US has been arguing for months that lifting the restrictions would make no strategic difference in the war, as Russia has moved its most important targets, including aircraft, further from the border and out of range of weapons provided to Ukraine. However, Kyiv has identified several high-value targets that it can reach with the missiles provided by the US. Ukraine hopes the list will strengthen its campaign to convince President Joe Biden to change his mind.
“There should be no restrictions on the range of weapons for Ukraine, while terrorists have no such restrictions. Defenders of life should not face restrictions on weapons,”
– zelenskyy said on Monday.
The visit of Umerov and Yermak comes amid the ongoing Ukrainian invasion of Russia’s Kursk region and Moscow’s massive missile attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and Ukrainian cities.
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Ukrainian officials have long asked the Biden administration to lift restrictions on American weapons to make it easier to launch offensives inside Russia and push Russian forces back from the border. The US has said since the war began that it fears that lifting the restrictions could provoke Russia to launch even more aggressive attacks on Ukraine.
While escalation is still a concern, the Biden administration has recently emphasised its belief that there would be little tactical advantage given Russia’s movement of military equipment out of range. The administration also assesses that Ukraine does not have enough Army Tactical Air-to-Air Missile Systems (ATACMS) – the long-range missiles it wants to use – to hit high-value targets in Russia. Kyiv uses many of these missiles to strike Crimea. And the US allegedly has a limited supply of ATACMS that it can send to Ukraine.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said during a briefing with reporters on Monday that there was “no change” in US policy on the restrictions. However, some Ukrainian officials say they see signs that some in the Biden administration are considering lifting the restrictions in the coming days.
Zelenskyy and Biden spoke by phone on Friday, but did not specifically discuss a request to lift the restrictions, according to a U.S. official briefed on the call. However, the two leaders did discuss more broadly Kyiv’s request for the US to send additional long-range weapons. They also talked about Russia’s advance in Pokrovsk and Ukraine’s strategy to counter Moscow there while trying to make headway in Kursk.
After the call, Biden announced a new $125 million military aid package for Kyiv. On the same day, the US also announced a series of additional sanctions against Russia.
It is not yet known when Umerov and Yermak will arrive in Washington and what other meetings they plan to hold during their stay in the United States.
Kyiv and Washington are negotiating a face-to-face meeting between Biden and Zelenskyy at the UN General Assembly in New York next month, a US official said.