Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – The United States and Britain on Wednesday promised a swift review of Ukraine’s requests to ease restrictions on attacking inside Russia as they pledged $1.5 billion in new aid ahead of a potentially difficult winter. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his new British counterpart, David Lammy, showed solidarity with a rare joint visit to Kyiv, which they reached after taking a nine-hour train ride together from Poland. The trip came amid growing concern over the situation on the battlefield and the uncertain future of Washington’s stance on the war.
Russia’s alleged acquisition of new short-range Iranian missiles threatens to ramp up Moscow’s firepower, while November’s US presidential election could result in a dramatic shift by Ukraine’s top backer. Blinken stated that the United States would offer $717 million in fresh economic aid to Ukraine, with half of it aimed at supporting an electricity infrastructure that has been battered by Russian strikes as winter approaches. He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dusting off “his winter playbook” to “weaponize the cold against the Ukrainian people.”
“Our support will not wane, our unity will not break,” Blinken told reporters in Kyiv. “Putin will not outlast the coalition of countries committed to Ukraine’s success, and he is certainly not going to outlast the Ukrainian people.” Lammy reiterated his Labour government’s pledge to provide £600 million ($782 million) in economic assistance to Ukraine. Britain, which has consistently pushed to ease restrictions on Ukraine’s use of weapons, will also provide hundreds of new air-defense missiles to Ukraine this year, he added.
In the eastern Donetsk region, Russia has been advancing on the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk, a month after Kyiv launched a shock counter-offensive into Russia’s Kursk region. In an online post on Wednesday evening, President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that he had had “very substantive” talks with Blinken and Lammy, thanking both countries for their support. However, he emphasized the importance of Ukrainian arguments being heard, including requests for long-range weapons, the supply of combat brigades on the front lines, and the overall strategy for achieving a just peace.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga told journalists, “It is important to lift any restrictions on the use of US and British weapons against legitimate military targets in Russia.” Blinken stated that Washington would consider the requests “with urgency,” and they would be discussed on Friday in Washington when US President Joe Biden meets UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Blinken hinted at his personal support, saying that throughout the war, “we have adjusted and adapted as needs changed, as the battlefield has changed, and I have no doubt that we’ll continue to do that.”
However, Biden, while strongly supportive of Ukraine, has previously made it clear that he would be cautious to avoid a direct conflict between the United States and Russia, the world’s two leading nuclear powers.
Asked how Moscow would react, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the response “will be appropriate,” without providing specific details. Washington believes that Russia could start firing short-range Iranian-made missiles into Ukraine within weeks, potentially freeing up Moscow’s long-range arsenal to hit deeper into Ukraine. Earlier this year, the United States cleared Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike Russian territory but only when in direct conflict across the border. Britain has been eager for Biden’s green light to let Ukraine fire long-range Storm Shadow missiles into Russia.
One key request by Ukraine is to loosen restrictions on US-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, which can hit targets up to 300 kilometers (190 miles) away. Both Republican and Democratic members of the US Congress have urged Biden to act quickly on the ATACMS issue. However, Republicans are deeply divided over support for Ukraine. A victory in November by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump over Biden’s political heir, Kamala Harris, could dramatically shift US policy. During a debate on Tuesday with Harris, Trump, who has previously expressed admiration for Putin, notably did not say he wanted Ukraine to win, only that he wanted to end the war quickly.
Blinken, on his fifth trip to Kyiv since the war broke out, again reached outside of official circles, dining at a celebrated borscht restaurant and meeting anti-corruption activists. Lammy, for his part, shared with Ukrainians his own heritage as a black Briton and said Putin has displayed “the same arrogance, the same greed” as those who enslaved his ancestors. “This is imperialism; this is fascism,” Lammy declared.
© 2024 AFP
