Ukraine is seeking permission from the United States to use long-range missiles against military targets in Russia’s rear, a Ukrainian official told CNN.
According to the American network, in fact, the Ukrainian side will hand over to the US government a list of possible targets in Russia, at the meeting that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will have tonight at the Pentagon with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umyerov.
“At the meeting, Umyerov will try to convince the Biden administration to lift restrictions on US long-range weapons strikes on Russian territory,” a Ukrainian official told CNN.\
Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh, however, limited herself to saying that Austin would be briefed on the current situation on the battlefield, including the situation in the Kursk region.
They want greater involvement from the West
Military analysts warn, however, that Kiev is trying to drag the West into a bigger war.
Over the past two and a half years, there have been repeated warnings of a new escalation of the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin has drawn “red lines” and threatened to use nuclear weapons. Ukraine – and its Western allies – have not been impressed and have not complied. And nothing has happened – so far.
“Ukrainian President Zelensky seems convinced that this will continue to happen in the future. That is why Ukraine’s military plans are becoming increasingly bold,” the same sources note. “The invasion of the Kursk region is an example of this,” they add.
The Ukrainian president, of course, argued that the military operation in the Kursk region was part of a plan to force Russia to retreat.
British “green light”
According to the Telegraph, Britain has already given Kiev the green light to launch Storm Shadow missile strikes inside Russia. However, the London government is unlikely to speak out publicly to avoid creating a rift with the US.
A dispute is also likely because the Biden administration fears further escalation, even if the US does not agree. If Western missiles are fired deep into Russia, US troops could be drawn into that war, but that is something the US wants to avoid.
The White House has long acknowledged that this risk exists – and also that Ukraine could deliberately try to drag the US into the conflict.
In fact, according to the Financial Times, President Joe Biden reportedly told advisers that Zelensky may be deliberately trying to drag America into a third world war,
However, Washington takes Moscow’s nuclear threat seriously and remains wary of Ukraine’s desires. The White House has noted not only that the Kremlin has threatened to use nuclear weapons, but that it has repeatedly allowed its troops to practice using them.
And the White House probably knows that a nuclear war would destroy not only Europe, but the United States itself.
Moscow’s reaction
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov explicitly reminded this: “The West is trying to escalate the war in Ukraine and will cause big problems if it allows rockets to be launched deep into Russia,” Lavrov said, speaking to reporters.
“Playing with fire is like playing with matches for small children, but it is much more dangerous for adults who are entrusted with nuclear weapons in one or another Western country,” Lavrov said, adding: A third world war will not only affect Europe.