Ukraine needs the ability to strike deep within Russia now, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told U.S. and allied military leaders Friday as Kyiv more fervently pressed the West to loosen weapons use restrictions and allow it to target Russian air bases and launch sites far from the border.
Zelenskyy made the case during an in-person meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. He appeared to make inroads with some of the defense leaders from the 50-plus partner nations who regularly gather to coordinate weapons aid for the war.
His request comes after a series of recent deadly Russian airstrikes, including against a Ukrainian military training center that killed more than 50 and wounded hundreds this week. On Friday, the Kremlin fired five ballistic missiles at the city of Pavlohrad in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, injuring at least 50 people, regional Gov. Serhii Lysak said.
The risk reward of doing that isn’t great. Ukraine is unlikely to end the war sooner using the current western weapons against long range targets in Russia. They will need a recurring supply. If they blatantly ignore the terms of the weapons they have already received then they won’t get anymore.
Best case scenario, Ukraine gets the go ahead and we hear about it after they start using them. But Ukraine won’t use them without permission, it’s too risky. If (hopefully when) they get permission it will be alongside a large delivery of these weapons.