Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged U.S. President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to carry out missile strikes on Russian territory using weapons delivered by the United States. Zelenskyy said that Biden has a chance to “secure a historical legacy” and bolster Ukraine before the end of his presidency.
Before an important meeting in Washington next week with Biden and US Vice President Harris, Zelensky will submit a “victory scenario” to end the ongoing war. While the particulars of his concept of a “just peace” have yet to be revealed, he said that it calls for deep strikes with Western missiles inside Russia—a move that has been avoided by both London and Washington.
These remarks came a few days after Vyacheslav Volodin, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that Western nations who are supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons might provoke a nuclear war. His statement titled, “For those who didn’t get it the first time,” repeated Putin’s earlier threats that any interference by the West would be perceived as aggression against Russia.
Recently, the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution encouraging EU states to remove bans on employing Western weapons against legitimate military objectives in Russia. The US has said it would be willing to allow the use of British Storm Shadow cruise missiles. But doubts have remained in the White House over this strategy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian forces have not been allowed to use these weapons against targets in Russia after months of campaigning. He further noted potential dangers from the Russian RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, which could target Strasbourg, where the European Parliament sits, within 190 seconds.
