In May, the total ban on attacking Russian targets with US weapons was partially lifted. Washington then gave Ukraine the green light to attack Russian troops massed on the border for an attack on Kharkov. When Ukrainian forces entered the Kursk region a month later, they used anti-aircraft missile batteries against Russian troops, and this raised no objections in the United States.
Previously, the United States feared that attacks on Russian targets could lead to escalation, including the use of nuclear weapons by Russia. However, in recent months new reasons for restrictions have emerged.
Some officials have suggested that the administration does not want to jeopardize the possibility of a “reset” of relations with Moscow in the future. Others argue that using ATACMS against Russian targets will not change the situation, since most of those targets are out of range.
In addition, the Biden administration recently blocked Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow/Scalp missiles, which was made possible by the presence of American components in these missiles.
Experts such as former commander of US forces in Europe Ben Hodges say these arguments are untenable. According to him, there are no moral or legal reasons not to attack Russian targets. He also noted that if Biden does not change his position, this could negatively affect his legacy.
Next week, at the UN General Assembly in New York, Zelensky will have a final chance to convince Biden of the need to reconsider his approach.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to develop long-range weapons, demonstrating that it can effectively use systems such as ATACMS and Storm Shadow/Scalp against Russian targets.
Earlier, Kursor reported that Zelensky, on Ukraine’s Independence Day, called Putin a “sick grandfather” and threatened to turn Russia into a “buffer federation” and promised that the Russian Federation would learn what “retribution” is.
