On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken strongly hinted that the US was preparing to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US and NATO missiles to support long-range strikes inside Russian territory, which would mark a significant escalation of the proxy war.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv alongside UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Blinken said he discussed the issue of “long-range fires” with Ukrainian President Volodomy Zelensky and said he would bring the discussion back to Washington. He said President Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will discuss the issue when they meet this Friday.
Signaling the US is ready to support long-range strikes in Ukraine, Blinken said, “Speaking for the United States, from day one, as you’ve heard me say, we have adjusted and adapted as needs have changed, as the battlefield has changed, and I have no doubt that we’ll continue to do that.”
The Guardian reported that British government sources indicated there’s already been a decision made in private to allow Ukraine to use British-provided missiles inside Ukraine, which have a range of about 155 miles. The sources said Biden and Starmer are not expected to announce the decision on Friday, and it’s unclear when it might be made public.
Later on Wednesday, POLITICO reported that the White House is finalizing plans to expand the area where Ukraine can hit inside Russia using US and British-provided missiles.
Ahead of Blinken’s visit, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the hawkish chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that he believed the Biden administration was ready to loosen restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US missiles to allow Army Tactical Missiles Systems (ATACMS) to be used in strikes inside Russia. ATACMS have a range of about 190 miles.
Blinken’s visit to Ukraine comes Russian forces are beginning to push back Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. Fighting has been raging in the Russian region since August 6, when Ukrainian forces invaded using US armored vehicles and British tanks. The offensive has failed to distract Moscow from eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, where Russian forces have continued to make gains.
The Ukrainian invasion of Kursk came a few months after President Biden gave Ukraine the greenlight to use US weapons in attacks on Russian border regions. Russia has strongly warned the US against allowing US weapons to be used in strikes deep inside Russian territory, but the Biden administration doesn’t appear to be concerned about the risk of escalation.