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President Volodymyr Zelensky has renewed calls for kyiv’s Western allies to lift restrictions on its forces using weapons against military targets in Russia, as Moscow launched a second night of devastating airstrikes on Ukraine.
Zelensky’s call and the Russian airstrikes come as kyiv and Moscow battle for the upper hand ahead of possible negotiations that the warring sides say could take place before the end of the year.
Ukrainian forces have turned the tables on Moscow with their audacious invasion of the Kursk region — the first time a foreign army has penetrated Russia’s border and occupied territory since World War II.
But Russian troops have continued their advance in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, exploiting kyiv’s lack of men and weapons, mistakes on the battlefield and weak defensive lines. They are now less than 10 km from the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk and threaten Kiev’s grip on the rest of the region.
Zelensky argued that to gain the upper hand and be able to dictate the terms of a just end to Russia’s war, Ukraine must strike deep behind enemy lines, where it can weaken Moscow’s military capabilities.
But kyiv relies heavily on its Western allies for weapons and ammunition, especially those capable of hitting long-range targets. And those partners are reluctant to supply it with such powerful weapons or to allow kyiv to use those they have supplied in Russia.
According to a senior Ukrainian official, kyiv has in recent weeks provided Washington with information on specific targets it would like to strike with American Atacs, British Storm Shadow and French Scalp missiles. The targets include airfields, ammunition depots, fuel warehouses and command and control centers.
Authorizing the attacks, the Ukrainian official said, would mean Ukraine could counter Russia’s air assaults before they begin and force its enemy to move its forces further from the border.
The Biden administration has claimed that using weapons in Russia would have little strategic effect, a claim strongly disputed by Zelenskyy.
“This is the optimal counterterrorism tactic, a tactic that each of our partners is entitled to and would undoubtedly use to protect themselves,” he said Monday.
“There should be no restrictions on Ukraine’s range of weapons… while Russia uses all kinds of weapons, as well as attack drones (of Iranian manufacture) and ballistic missiles from North Korea.
“The United States, the United Kingdom, France and other partners have the power to help us end terrorism. We need decisions.”
Ukraine’s invasion of the Kursk region, he added, was kyiv’s way of compensating for a deficit in long-range capabilities.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington on Monday that there had been “no change” in U.S. policy on gun restrictions.
“This is not a new will of President Zelensky,” he said. “We will continue discussions with the Ukrainians, but we will keep them private.”
The airstrikes that hit Ukraine for the second day in a row Monday night and Tuesday mainly targeted critical infrastructure. While five cruise missiles and 60 attack drones were shot down, at least one of the 91 missiles and drones destroyed a hotel used by foreign journalists and aid workers in Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown in the south of the country. At least four people were killed and 16 others wounded in the latest attacks, Zelensky said.
The strike follows a similar attack on a hotel in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on Friday night that killed a British security adviser working for Reuters.
Monday’s Russian offensive was one of the largest in its full-scale invasion, with more than 200 cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones targeting critical infrastructure and residential areas in 15 regions, according to the Ukrainian air force. At least five people were killed and dozens wounded in what U.S. President Joe Biden called an “outrageous attack.”
Biden said he had “redirected U.S. air defense exports to go primarily to Ukraine.” And he added, “The United States is also increasing its deliveries of energy equipment…to repair their systems and strengthen the resilience of Ukraine’s energy grid.”
The bombings appear to indicate that Russia is stepping up its airstrikes against Ukrainian power plants, a campaign it began in the spring. Rolling power cuts were imposed Monday after the latest bombing.
“Each of these strikes brings us back to the issue of long-range capabilities – the need to equip our defense forces with enough long-range weapons capable of destroying terrorists exactly in the areas of their strikes,” Zelenskyy said.
