Generals and diplomats call for Ukraine to be allowed to strike deep into Russia with Western-supplied weapons

Generals, diplomats and civil society leaders have signed an open letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy calling for Ukraine to be authorised to strike deep into Russia with long-range weapons provided by its partners. Source: a letter provided to Ukrainska Pravda by the signatories Quote: "With news of your upcoming trip to Kyiv, we write as national security experts and former government officials from the United States and the United Kingdom to urge you to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western-provided weapons to strike deep into Russia."

Details: The signatories emphasise that the United States and the United Kingdom have made an "admirable" decision to equip Ukraine with ATACMS air defence systems and long-range Storm Shadow missiles.

"But [Western countries] have made this aid less impactful by arbitrarily limiting how Kyiv can use it. We must act with alacrity. A change in policy cannot come soon enough.

This winter will be the worst yet as Ukrainians attempt to keep their country running despite Moscow's intensified bombings to destroy the Ukrainian energy grid and freeze them in their homes," the letter reads. The signatories stressed that over 900 days of war have shown that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin's repeated threats are nothing more than an attempt to keep Ukraine's partners from properly arming the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

"Easing the restrictions on Western weapons will not cause Moscow to escalate. We know this because Ukraine is already striking territory Russia considers its own - including Crimea and Kursk - with these weapons and Moscow's response remains unchanged," the letter says.

The authors of the statement noted that Iran has deepened its support for the Russian invasion by providing short-range ballistic missiles that Russia will use against Ukrainian civilians. They emphasise that Ukraine should be able to use Western-provided weapons to destroy the sites hosting these missiles, along with more than 200 other Russian military and paramilitary sites identified by the Institute for the Study of War as being within range of ATACMS missiles at the disposal of Ukrainian forces. "It's far more cost-effective to destroy the archer rather than the arrow.

We urge you to listen to your partners in Kyiv this week and allow Ukraine to strike all legitimate targets in Russia with the weapons the US and UK have provided.

Let Ukraine defend itself," the signatories of the letter concluded.

Background:

• Earlier, it was reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy would arrive in Kyiv on 11 September.
• On 10 September, US President Joe Biden stated that the issue of lifting the ban on Ukraine's use of Western-provided long-range weapons was under consideration.

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