A group of at least 20 House Democrats and five House Republicans have written a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of American long-range weapons to strike deep inside Russia. The letter, obtained and seen by the Kyiv Independent, was sent by Rep. Marcy Kaptur, co-chair of the bipartisan Ukraine Caucus, to the president on Sept. 10.
In the two-page letter, the bipartisan group requests that the Biden Administration immediately end limitations on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons provided by the U.S. and other NATO allies to strike legitimate military targets inside Russia. The letter points out that these restrictions are in contrast to the limitations placed on the use of American weapons by other allies, such as Israel.
The current restrictions only allow Ukraine to use U.S.-provided missiles in limited cross-border strikes on Russian military targets used to launch attacks into Ukraine. However, the recent incursion by Ukraine into Russia’s Kursk region, as mentioned in the letter, has changed the nature of the war and tested Russia’s response to being attacked.
The letter also highlights that the existing policy of limiting Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to strike inside Russia is unsustainable and does not align with the realities of the ongoing conflict. The group argues that relevant Russian military targets are identifiable and within the range of long-range weapons provided by NATO countries.
During a meeting at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Sept. 6, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky advocated for more air defenses, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that Ukraine has the capability to use “UAVs and other things” to target a variety of Russian targets. He also acknowledged that Russian aircrafts have been moved beyond the range of the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), making it difficult for Ukraine to effectively defend its territory.
In response to Zelensky’s request to strike deeper inside Russia, Secretary Austin said, “I think for the foreseeable future, we’re going to make sure that we remain focused on helping them do those things that enable them to be effective in defending their sovereign territory.”
In addition to the letter from House Democrats, six House Republicans on foreign affairs and intelligence committees also sent a letter to President Biden on Sept. 10, calling for the remaining restrictions on ATACMS to be lifted. The White House has stated that 90% of Russian aircraft used to attack Ukraine are now beyond a 300-kilometer zone from the Ukrainian border, making them out of reach of ATACMS.
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