Former US and UK officials urge removal of restrictions on Ukrainian long-range strikes

A group of 17 high-ranking American and British officials have signed an open letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lemmy, urging them to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied weapons for strikes deep into Russian territory, NV reports.

Ukraine has been urging allies for months to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons against targets within Russia. The restriction doesn’t allow Ukraine to strike Russian logistics and airfields, allowing Russia to exert greater pressure on the frontline, in particular by massively using glide bombs.

When asked whether US President Joe Biden is considering repealing the restrictions in an interview with Sky News, Blinken said: “We never rule out. But when we rule in, we want to make sure it’s done in such a way that it can advance what the Ukrainians are trying to achieve.”

The letter, addressed ahead of the officials’ planned visit to Kyiv, said: “We urgently call on you to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western-provided weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia. Our countries made the commendable decision to equip Ukraine with long-range ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles but made this assistance less effective by arbitrarily limiting Kyiv’s ability to use it.”

The signatories argue that removing these limitations would not lead to escalation from Moscow, citing Ukraine’s existing strikes on territories Russia considers its own, including Crimea, which Russia occupied in 2014, and Kursk, Russia’s bordering oblast with Ukraine, which Ukraine invaded on 6 September, which have not prompted a change in Russia’s response.

The letter also addresses recent reports of Iran supplying ballistic missiles to Russia, stating: “Ukraine should have the right to use Western-provided weapons to destroy facilities housing these missiles if it has the opportunity to do so, as well as over 200 other Russian military and paramilitary facilities that, according to the Institute for the Study of War, are within range of Ukrainian ATACMs.”

Recent media reports said that Iran has supplied Russia with hundreds of ballistic missiles in a boost to its forces waging war against Ukraine.

Among the 17 signatories are retired General Philip Breedlove, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe, retired General Wesley Clark, former US Deputy Secretary of State Paula J. Dobriansky, and former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.

The open letter comes as Blinken and Lemmy prepare for their joint visit to Kyiv on 11 September. They are scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other high-ranking government officials.

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