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The U. S. and other allies have banned Ukraine from firing Western weapons at Russia. Kyiv says this has limited its ability to prevent cross-border attacks.
By Constant Méheut
Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine
Western countries are stepping up their calls to allow attacks on Russian territory using the weapons they have sent to the Ukrainian military, a factor that is becoming increasingly pressing as Russia builds up its troops on the border in anticipation of a conceivable offensive.
On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said Kyiv will be allowed to strike military sites used through Russia to fire missiles and launch attacks on Ukraine. His comments follow similar calls made in recent days by NATO’s most sensible official, Jens Stoltenberg, and government ministers from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Sweden.
Ukrainian officials say Russia has amassed about 10,000 troops in the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine in preparation for an imaginable ground offensive, and that their hands will be tied unless they manage to strike across the border.
“Why can’t we use weapons to destroy them where they are concentrated?””It would also be because they wouldn’t be united in a single operation. They would know that if they pile up at some point, we will attack,” President Volodymyr Zelensky asked in an interview with The New York Times last week.
The calls to allow Ukraine to expand its use of Western weapons are basically aimed at the United States, the Ukrainian government’s largest arms supplier. Washington has continually called on Ukraine not to fire U. S. -made weapons on Russian territory for fear of an escalation of the conflict. war, a debate has now opened up within Biden’s leadership about easing the ban.
Russian President Vladimir V. Putin warned Tuesday that Western countries helping Ukraine attack Russia should be aware of “what they are playing with. “He added that small European countries calling for direct action against Russia should keep in mind that they are densely populated. , which turns out to be a risk for them.
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