Poland and Germany support permission for Ukraine to strike deep into Russia
Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock have expressed support for the U.S. decision to allow Ukraine to conduct long-range strikes on Russian territory.
Semoniak stated that the decision by President Joe Biden and his allies to permit Ukraine to use long-range rockets beyond its borders is the "only and adequate response" to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who understands only force. Nearly 1,000 days of full-scale war leave no doubts about this matter, he added.
Baerbock also backed this "important" decision by the U.S. and emphasized that it is not a change in the West's strategy but a reinforcement of existing efforts, Reuters reports.
"The decision from the American side, and I would like to emphasise that this is not a rethink but an intensification of what has already been delivered by other partners, is so important at this moment," she said in Brussels before a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
On November 17, The New York Times reported that Biden had approved Ukraine's use of long-range ATACMS missiles to strike Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to similar media reports on the same day, stating that long-range strikes are not announced in advance and that the missiles will "speak for themselves."
On November 18, Axios reported that Biden approved the use of ATACMS missiles only in Russia's Kursk Oblast, where North Korean soldiers are concentrated.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro called the approval of long-range strikes on Russia "crazy" and stated that "they have entered the phase of madness of North American imperialism, the phase of revenge."
