Ukraine can strike deep into Russia, but only with its own weapons, US State Department says
Ukraine has the right to strike Russian military targets in response to ongoing attacks, but only with its own domestically produced weapons, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a briefing on Monday.
"Ukraine does not need our permission to strike back against Russian targets. They're a sovereign country and can use the weapons that they build on their own," Miller said in response to a question about authorizing long-range strikes.
Miller noted that Ukraine has implemented several weapons production programs over the past year. He emphasized that the United States has made it clear that Ukraine has an "enormous amount of materiel to defend itself" that can be used to respond to Russian attacks. Washington, in turn, is trying to provide "additional tools."
The State Department spokesperson also added that weapons from the United States or permission for long-range strikes should not be seen as a "magic capability that would change the face of the conflict." He stressed that the Washington has always made it clear that it sees things differently.
"We look at all the capabilities and all the tactics and all the support that we provide Ukraine in totality. When we approve any new weapon system or any new tactic, we look at how it's going to affect the entire battlefield and Ukraine's entire strategy and that's what we'll continue to do," Miller added.
On September 20, The Times reported that the United States and Britain might give Ukraine unofficial permission to strike Russia.
On September 28, it became known that the United States and other allies had not yet approved long-range strikes deep into Russia.
On September 29, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine was closer to obtaining permission for long-range strikes against Russia.
