The government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pushing for permission to use weapons received from the United States for direct attacks on targets on Russian territory. This was reported by the newspaper «Politico», which quotes anonymous US officials. Kiev would have renewed pressure in this sense in the context of the advance of the Russian armed forces in the Kharkiv region. A group of Ukrainian lawmakers visiting Washington this week asked members of the US federal Congress to support their request, which President Joe Biden’s administration currently opposes. According to «Politico», Ukrainian forces «have observed the accumulation of Russian forces for weeks» along the border between the two countries without being able to strike them, before the start of the recent Russian offensive in the direction of Kharkiv. «Politico» recalls that the United States has supplied Ukraine with long-range weapons on the condition that the latter are not used for attacks against Russian territory, but has authorized their use against targets in Crimea.
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“The main problem right now is the White House’s policy of limiting our ability” to strike military targets inside Russia, David Arakhamia, chairman of the ruling Servant of the People party, said in Washington yesterday. According to the publication, Ukrainians are trying to enlist the support of the US Congress to put pressure on the White House. But President Joe Biden’s administration does not intend to change his position yet. “We provide assistance for defense, not for offensive operations on the territory of the Russian Federation,” an anonymous US official said.
