Report: US Remains Unconvinced on Ukraine's Possible Use of Long-Range Weapons in Russia

Report: US Remains Unconvinced on Ukraine's Possible Use of Long-Range Weapons in Russia
Above: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (L) and Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels on October 11, 2023. Image copyright: Olivier Matthys/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images

The Facts

  • The US, under the administration of Pres. Joe Biden, remains unconvinced that it should grant Ukraine authority to use long-range Western weapons to strike deep into Russian territory, according to US officials who spoke to the Associated Press this week.

  • As Biden and Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepare to meet next week, US officials said they have asked Ukraine to elaborate on how such weapons — if provided — would be used in line with Kyiv's war objectives.

  • When Biden and Zelenskyy meet at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Zelenskyy is also expected to present the US with Ukraine's "victory plan" — what he described as a plan that would push Russia to seek peace in the conflict.

The Spin

Pro-Ukraine narrative

Because of current restrictions on long-range weapons, Russia simply moves its weapons out of range, hampering Ukraine's ability to put any pressure on its military. Ukraine has waited too long to receive these permissions.

Pro-Russia narrative

Should NATO countries lift restrictions and allow their long-range weapons to strike Russia, Moscow will have no choice but to see this as NATO's direct involvement in the war and respond accordingly. This would be a fundamental escalation of the conflict — the West needs to tread carefully.

Metaculus Prediction



Go Deeper


Establishment split

CRITICAL

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