Biden says US ‘working out’ whether to let Ukraine use long-range weapons to hit Russia
Top American diplomat Blinken says the US will ‘look and to listen’ to Kyiv’s request to lift restrictions on its use of the missiles
US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that his administration was “working that out now” when asked if the US would lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons in its war against Russia.
The US has been reluctant to supply or sanction the use of weapons that could strike targets deep inside in Russia for fear it would escalate the conflict.
Kyiv’s other allies have been supplying weapons, but with restrictions on how and when they can be used inside Russia, out of concern such strikes could prompt retaliation that draws Nato countries into the war or provokes a nuclear conflict.
Sources told Reuters last week that the US was close to an agreement to give Ukraine such weapons, but that Kyiv would need to wait several months as the US works through technical issues ahead of any shipment.
Earlier on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken signalled the US would hold talks on Ukraine’s use of Western long-range weapons against Russia, after confirming Moscow had received shipments of ballistic missiles from Iran.
“We’re going to look and to listen” to Ukraine’s request to lift restrictions on its use of long-range missiles, Blinken said Tuesday at a press conference with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London.
