Russia destroys US-made rocket launcher in Ukraine – MOD (VIDEO)
RTSep 16
US Rebuffs Ukrainian Request to Strike Deep into Russian Territory
Above: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on August 06, 2024. Image copyright: Chip Somodevilla/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday rebuffed Ukraine's appeal for permitting the country to use Western-provided long-range missiles to strike deep into Russia.
Since the US lifted some restrictions on Ukraine's weapons use earlier in the year, including ATACMS strikes on Crimea and limited strikes on Russian regions bordering Ukraine, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly lobbied for further easing of the restrictions.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
It's wrong to think that a single capability is sufficient to suddenly turn the course of the war in Ukraine's favor. Russia is a big country, and Ukraine has other capabilities for reaching these targets that may be better suited than long-range US weapons.
Pro-Russia narrative
The US needs to think long and hard about the decision on whether to allow Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range weapons. Ukraine knows the only way it can possibly win this conflict is by drawing the US and UK into the fight, and that's what it hopes to achieve by striking Russia with their weapons, even if it leads to the outbreak of World War III.