World

Ukraine Seeking to Convince US to Fully Lift Ban on Strikes Inside Russia - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Kiev is seeking to convince Washington to lift a ban on Ukrainian strikes inside Russian territory with US-supplied weapons in the course of the NATO summit, Politico reported, citing Ukrainian presidential office head Andriy Yermak.
Sputnik
In May, the Biden administration authorized Ukrainian forces to use the transferred weapons against targets on Russian territory adjacent to the Kharkov (also known as Kharkiv) region for counter-fire purposes, but left in place a ban on cross-border strikes using ATACMS missiles and other long-range firearms.
The Ukrainian authorities plan to increase pressure on the White House during the ongoing NATO summit so that it lifts all restrictions on striking Russian territory with US weapons, including the use of ATACMS, Yermak told Politico in an interview out Tuesday.
Ukraine has been raising the issue with the Biden administration for several months through several meetings and phone calls with high-ranking US officials, Yermak told Politico, outlining his plans to bring up the matter again during meetings with the US administration.
Kiev also intends to request more details from the US authorities on the number of weapons it plans to provide in the coming months and the expected delivery dates, the Ukrainian official said.
The NATO summit kicked off in Washington on Tuesday and will run through July 11.
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On Monday, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said no changes had been made to the US policy regarding Ukrainian strikes on targets inside Russian territory. Kirby made the remarks when asked whether Washington was mulling policy changes following a missile attack on the Okhmatdyt National Children's Specialized Hospital in Kiev, which Ukraine says was carried out by Moscow.
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