US President Joe Biden acknowledged that there is “no consensus” among NATO allies regarding the delivery of long-range weapons to Ukraine that could strike deep within Russian territory, but he emphasized the need for sustained Western backing of Ukraine.
This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed his victory plan to the public, one of the points of which is to allow Ukraine long-range strikes inside Russia. While the US and UK have supplied systems like ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, their use is allowed only on Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories due to the fears of nuclear escalation with Russia.
Biden warned of a “very difficult winter” ahead for Ukraine due to Russian strikes while emphasizing the need to maintain assistance, according to Bloomberg.
“We cannot let up, we must sustain our support. In my view, we must keep going until Ukraine wins a just and durable peace consistent with the UN charter, until once again human dignity prevails,” Biden said during his visit to Berlin.
While some allies are open to discussing a NATO invitation for Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated his opposition to Ukraine’s early NATO membership and continued refusal to provide long-range missiles.
“We are supporting Ukraine as vigorously as possible. At the same time, we are ensuring that NATO does not become a party to the war and that this war does not turn into a much greater catastrophe,” Scholz said.
According to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, Biden plans to use his presidential authority to maintain aid to Ukraine through the end of his term.
The upcoming US presidential election looms large over these discussions, with concerns about potential changes in Ukraine policy if former President Donald Trump returns to office.
Earlier, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not rule out the possibility of Ukraine being allowed to carry out long-range strikes into Russia, emphasizing that Ukraine has the right to decide how to defend itself.
Reuters, citing unnamed US officials, noted that Washington is close to an agreement on providing Ukraine with JASSM air-to-surface missiles, capable of reaching targets deep inside Russia.
The Ukrainian Parliament suggested that permission to strike targets in Russia might be granted to Ukraine after the US presidential elections in November.
Hungary remains the only declared holdout among NATO and EU members, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban asserting that Zelenskyy’s plan is destined to fail.
Related:
- ISW: West may underestimate benefits of long-range strikes for Ukraine
- Long-range strikes into Russia with British Storm Shadow missiles need US permission on cartography data
- ISW: Putin’s nuclear threats aim to influence Western support for Ukraine
- Putin’s nuclear threats proven hollow as Ukraine invades Russia, expert says
- FT: Leaked Russian military documents show lower threshold for use of nuclear weapons than Putin claims
