President Zelensky Urges the U.S. to Authorize Strikes Deep into Russian Territory
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has intensified his calls for the U.S. to permit Kyiv to target military objectives deep within Russian territory, aiming to pressure Moscow into ending the ongoing conflict.
On the night of August 31st, President Zelensky reported that a Russian glide bomb attack in Kharkiv on August 30th claimed six lives and injured 97 others. Russia continued its bombing campaign the following day, leading Zelensky to argue that such attacks can only be halted by striking military airfields, bases, and logistics centers deep inside Russia.
“We discuss this issue daily with our partners. We are making our case, providing solid arguments,” Zelensky stated.
The Ukrainian President emphasized that disabling Russia’s ability to deploy glide bombs over Ukraine would be a “decisive step to compel Moscow to seek an end to the war and establish a just peace.”
“We need the capability to defend our country and our people comprehensively and effectively. We need your approval to use long-range assets, including artillery and missiles,” Zelensky urged, addressing the U.S., the U.K., France, and Germany.
Since 2022, the U.S. has provided over $50 billion in military aid to Ukraine but has restricted Kyiv’s use of U.S.-supplied weapons to Ukrainian territory and cross-border defensive operations.
Zelensky’s remarks followed a meeting between a Ukrainian delegation and senior U.S. officials in Washington on August 31st. While the President did not disclose specific details of the discussions, he confirmed that his representatives had provided “all necessary details” to Kyiv’s partners.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, who accompanied the delegation to Washington on August 30-31, highlighted that Ukraine has demonstrated that the airfields used by Russian aircraft to launch glide bomb attacks on Ukrainian cities are within strike range.
“We have made clear the capabilities we need to protect our citizens, and I hope Ukraine has been heard,” Umerov stated.
President Zelensky is expected to personally reiterate this appeal next month during his meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office and in sessions at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
From the standpoint of Ukraine’s Minister of Economy, Yulia Svyrydenko, Russian airstrikes have impacted more than half of the country’s electrical infrastructure.
