Ukraine is asking its Western allies to permit the use of their donated weapons for deeper strikes into Russia.
The plea comes as invading forces continue to inflict serious damage on Ukrainian territories using bombs dropped from Russian warplanes.
On Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said partners should further ease restrictions on the use of Western weapons so that Kyiv’s forces could target Russian air bases and cripple its air power.
Though he did not mention specific countries, the Ukrainian leader may be pertaining to the US, which reportedly still puts limits on the use of its donated weapons for targets inside Russia.
Washington has already allowed Kyiv to hit Russia using US-made missiles, but only to target border regions where Moscow’s troops assemble and launch attacks.
“We have enough determination to destroy terrorists on their territory – it is only fair – and we need the same determination from our partners,” Zelensky stressed.
Ukraine relies largely on its domestically-produced kamikaze drones to target Russian air bases.
‘Immediate Impact’
The West’s decision to give Ukraine greater freedom to strike deep into Russia has made an immediate impact on the defending forces, according to a report by The New York Times.
Kyiv was reportedly able to thwart Moscow’s recent offensive in northern Kharkiv and slowed the bombardment of the city.
Ukrainian forces also pushed Russian positions back, gaining precious time to fortify their own positions.
Last Sunday, Russia’s defense ministry said a US-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) reached the city of Sevastopol, killing four people.
Ukraine also reported earlier this month the first-ever kill inside Russia by Western-supplied weapons of a Russian S-300 missile system.
“Unfortunately, we still cannot reach … airfields and their aircraft. This is the problem,” Ukrainian politician Yehor Cherniev said. “That’s why we are asking to lift the restrictions to use long-range missiles against limited military targets in the territory of Russia.”
