US gives reasons for refusing to change regulations on missile aid to Ukraine
The US Secretary of Defense revealed that Washington is determined not to allow Ukraine to use aid weapons to attack deep into Russian territory because there are no longer any valid military targets.
In an interview with Fox News on October 23, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was asked why President Joe Biden's administration repeatedly refused requests from his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to lift restrictions on launching ATACMS missiles, which have a range of about 300km, at targets in Russian territory.
“Russia has moved its aircraft out of the ATACMS’s range,” Austin explained. The official added that Ukraine now has the ability to produce its own unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can target at ranges of 400km or more.
Lifting Western restrictions on the use of foreign-made long-range weapons and an invitation to join NATO immediately are two of the main proposals in the Ukrainian president's "victory plan". Moscow has rejected Kiev's proposals, accusing them of pushing NATO members toward a direct conflict with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also warned Western countries not to allow Kiev to use its long-range weapons to target Russian territory, saying this could lead to direct confrontation or even nuclear war. Mr. Putin argued that Ukrainian troops would not be able to carry out such attacks on their own because they would need to rely on targeting information provided by NATO.
The Kremlin leader also ordered amendments to Moscow's nuclear doctrine to consider "actions against Russia by any non-nuclear state, but with the participation or support of a nuclear state, as a joint attack." Moscow would regard such a move as grounds for the use of nuclear weapons.
