Ukraine is asking the Biden administration to lift the ban on the use of US weapons on Russian territory, increasing pressure on the White House.
The Ukrainian authorities are increasingly pushing for a change in US policy. According to Politico, they are calling for the Biden administration’s ban on using US weapons to carry out attacks on Russian territory to be lifted. The ban prevented them from attacking Russian positions as they prepared for their major march towards Kharkiv.
A group of Ukrainian lawmakers is in Washington this week to lobby Congress for their cause. They see the US ban as a hindrance to the Ukrainian war effort, as Kiev wants to hit Russian military depots across the border.
Davyd Arachamiyah, leader of the ruling Servant of the People party in the Ukrainian parliament, complained during his visit to Washington on Tuesday that current US policy limits its ability to strike military targets in Russia. Russia is aware of this limitation and has therefore deployed at least 30,000 soldiers and equipment on the border without fear.
The Biden administration’s ban on using US weapons in Russia was imposed after Russia’s invasion in February 2022 and has increasingly frustrated Ukrainian authorities since then. They are now pushing for a change in this policy in order to be able to take stronger action against the Russian armed forces.
Ukraine has been carrying out attacks on Russian territory for months using its own small drones to attack oil facilities, but says it needs the more powerful U.S. missiles to break through Russian air defense systems along the border.