US holds firm against Ukraine using American weapons to strike deep inside Russia

(WASHINGTON) — The White House is expected to keep in place its restrictions on Ukraine’s use of American long-range weapons deep inside Russia, despite pressure from a delegation of Ukrainian officials that arrived in Washington on Thursday, a U.S. official said.

Ukrainian Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, and Andriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, arrived with a list of Russian targets that Kyiv believes it could strike using U.S. weapons if given permission, according to several officials.

According to a Ukrainian official, the officials will argue that such strikes could be effective in altering the course of the conflict, which is now in its third year.

All of the officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss ongoing private talks between the two countries.

The Biden administration has already eased some restrictions on the use of U.S. arms, allowing Ukraine to launch limited defensive strikes against Russian forces across its border.

Among Ukraine’s most coveted items is a long-range missile system — the Army Tactical Missile System, or “ATACMS,” which the Biden administration has delivered. And this spring, after months of pressure by the Ukrainians, the U.S. shipped a longer-range version that could strike as far as 190 miles, enabling it to hit targets inside Russian-occupied Crimea.

But while the U.S. has made its support for Ukraine clear, it’s also sought to avoid deep strikes inside the Russia homeland, seeing such a move as a major provocation with both U.S. and NATO trying to avoid direct conflict with Moscow.

According to a U.S. official familiar with the latest round of discussions, the reluctance by the White House to relax its rules on the use of ATACMs to hit far-flung targets inside Russia is due in part to the limited number of them.

The system is successfully being used in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, including Crimea. And pulling those systems to focus on other targets wouldn’t likely be useful, the official said.

Another question for Washington would be whether loosening restrictions on the use of U.S. weapons would make much of a difference.

Recent intelligence suggests Russia is believed to have relocated more than 90 percent of its aircraft out of range of the system, according to the U.S. official.

“There’s not a silver bullet to win the war,” the official said. And a change in policy “means Ukraine would have to choose between striking in the Donbas in Crimea or inside Russia with limited resources.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky has long advocated for more weapons from the West with no restrictions. At an Aug. 24 press conference in Kyiv, he said he plans on attending the United Nations General Assembly in September where he’ll present the U.S. and other world powers a path to victory in the war.

“We need no less determination from our partners in these matters. Each of our friends who can persuade our allies to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons can truly help bring our shared victory closer,” he said.