Update – EU ALONE in NUCLEAR CHALLENGE vs PUTIN. Biden’s USA does not allow Zelensky to Hit Russia with Long-Range Missiles
by Carlo Domenico Cristofori
UPDATE ON SEPTEMBER, 25, 2024
According to National Security Council Spokesman US President has not made a policy change on topic
US President Joe Biden plans to discuss the possibility of strikes with US weapons deep inside Russia when meets with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky at the White House on September 26, US National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby said.
“The president has been consistent that our policy is that long range strike capabilities provided by the US are not to be used against targets in Russia. He has not made a policy change on that. He’s still in the same place. That’s the guidance that we have provided to Ukraine. We understand that they have asked for that to be changed,” he said at a news conference for international reporters.
“I’m sure the issue will come up. But he has not changed his view that the use of US weapons, long range weapons, against targets in Russia is prohibited.”
ARTICLE POSTED ON SEPTEMBER, 24, 2024
Kiev has not yet persuaded US to lift restrictions on strikes deep into Russia
Kiev has so far failed to persuade Washington to let it use US weapons for strikes deep into Russian territory, The Washington Post quotes sources as saying.
Thus the European Union, which has approved a controversial document containing Article 8 authorizing Ukraine to use NATO weapons including long-range missiles to strike Russia, risks finding itself alone in the challenge to Moscow…
Beyond the danger of conflict escalation, ignored by the US both in Ukraine and Palestine with the continued supply of weapons to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the hesitation of the Biden-Harris administration has certainly been influenced by the electoral campaign for the November presidential elections.
Given that Republican candidate Donald Trump continues to wave the promise of a rapid peace in Ukraine, attracting the ire of right-wing extremists supporting Kiev, despite some of his most trusted collaborators such as former CIA director Mike Pompeo having already revealed his plans to defeat Russia.
For this reason, President Joseph Biden and his vice president Kamala Harris seem to want to proceed with caution so as not to compromise the Democrats’ race to the White House.
But the month of October could prove fatal for the Kiev Army that attempted the desperate move of invading the Russian region of Kursk but exposed itself to Moscow’s offensive in Donbass and is now about to be pushed back even from Russian territory of which it had conquered a few villages.
Washington “has not heard a convincing argument from Ukrainian leaders that the possible targets within missile range in Russia would make a significant difference in Ukraine’s path to victory,” the daily writes. According to administration officials, the expected effect of lifting the ban “is not worth the risk of a Russian escalation” such a decision could bring about.
The daily also notes that “European military officials and diplomats emphatically disagreed that allowing the longer-range strikes into Russia would only have limited impact” and only result in the loss of missiles. As the WP points out, European officials “condemned” the policy of refusing to lift the restrictions on Western weapons.
The head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andrey Yermak, said earlier that Britain and France had not yet approved the use of their long-range Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles against targets in Russia.
Earlier, the British daily The Times said that US President Joe Biden was unlikely to announce his decision regarding the use of Western long-range missiles to strike deep into Russian territory following his meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on September 26 in Washington.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told the media on September 12 that Ukraine was unable to carry out strikes deep into Russian territory on its own without Western help, because it needed intelligence from satellites and flight missions to do so.
The Russian leader noted that NATO countries were now not just debating about Kiev’s possible use of Western long-range weapons.
They are essentially deciding whether to get directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict. Putin indicated that Moscow would make decisions based on the threats that would be posed to Russia.
Zelensky fears US may change Ukraine policy after presidential election
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky admits that Washington’s stance on supporting Kiev may change after the upcoming US presidential election, according to TASS Russian News Agency.
“Therefore we need to prepare in advance,” he said in an interview with ABC News. According to Zelensky, this is why the conflict resolution plan that he intends to discuss with the US presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, is so important.
Zelensky also claimed that his plan was aimed at ending the conflict quickly instead of prolonging it “one year, or two years or three years.”
In the meantime, a source close to Zelensky told ABC News that “the plan consists of five points and that its core includes specific figures and amounts of military assistance for Ukraine, as well as certain diplomatic and political steps.” However, “the plan does not include any proposed concessions to Russia.”
MAIN SOURCES
Lavrov: “Russia pushing Ukrainian troops out of Kursk Region, will undoubtedly succeed”
