President Biden has faced growing pressure to lift a ban on Ukraine using U.S. weapons to strike deep into Russia, and on Tuesday appeared to acknowledge that his administration is moving in that direction.
Asked by reporters whether Ukraine would allow the Long-Range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to target facilities inside Russia, he said: “That's under consideration.”
There is support from all quarters for lifting the ban.
A group of House Republican officials I wrote a letter to the president Russia argued this week that such restrictions “hinder Ukraine's ability to defeat Russia's war of aggression and give the Kremlin's forces a sanctuary from which they can attack Ukraine with impunity.”
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The House Republican letter was signed by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Michael Turner, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, and other committee leaders.
People stand near the building of one of Ukraine's largest children's hospitals, which was partially destroyed in a Russian missile attack, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 8, 2024. (Oleksandr Gusev/Global Images of Ukraine via Getty Images)
The book is critical of the Biden administration but stands in contrast to comments from senior Republicans such as Donald Trump, who have suggested a possible diplomatic end to the war.
On Wednesday, a group of liberal and progressive former senior national security officials I wrote a letter It called on the United States and Britain to allow unlimited use of their weapons to attack Russian territory.
A bipartisan group of House members and Senators I sent another letter Russia argues that the ban has made it “too complacent in its capabilities, allowing it to focus on offensive operations rather than on its own defence”.
“Relaxing restrictions on Western weapons will not increase tensions in Moscow,” they wrote. “We urge you to listen to your partners in Kiev this week and allow Ukraine to attack all legitimate targets on Russian soil with weapons provided by the US and UK. Let Ukraine defend itself.”
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked U.S. authorities to lift a ban imposed by the U.S. to avoid expanding U.S. involvement in the war, and the U.S. has partially complied in recent months, allowing Ukraine to use U.S. weapons for defensive strikes “on Ukrainian territory.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to visit Kiev on Wednesday along with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy to gather information on how such long-range strikes could affect Ukraine's broader battlefield strategy. Britain is also considering whether to allow Ukraine to use its own long-range system, Storm Shadow, to strike deeper into Russia.
Asked Thursday about the “green light” to target areas inside Russia, Blinken did not signal a change in policy but reiterated his desire to continue to adapt to Russian aggression.
Blinken said he expected Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to meet in Washington on Friday to discuss the issue.
Biden is under pressure to lift restrictions on arms the U.S. provides to Ukraine. (Roman Pilipei/AFP via Getty Images)
Soldiers of the Ukrainian 21st Independent Mechanized Brigade fire a Leopard 2A6 tank during a military exercise. (REUTERS/Valentin Ogilenko/File)
Last week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rejected the idea that lifting the restrictions and allowing Ukraine to penetrate deeper into Russia would turn the tide of the war.
“No single capability in this operation can play a decisive role on its own.”
“Russia is a big power, so of course it has a lot of targets,” Austin said Friday at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Liaison Group in Germany, “and Ukraine has a lot of capabilities to deal with those targets, including (unmanned aerial vehicles).”
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The debate over whether to lift the restrictions comes amid concerns that Iran has begun transferring ballistic missiles to Russia.
Some worry that the number of ATACMS the United States can provide to Ukraine is limited without affecting U.S. readiness, and that using the weapon to strike deep inside Russia could starve supplies for other parts of the military operation, such as the Crimean Peninsula. But proponents of lifting the ban say Ukraine is already using ATACMS on Russian territory, so it would be unwise to do so. Russia considers it its own country In Crimea.
