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Kiev has not yet persuaded US to lift restrictions on strikes deep into Russia — WP

Washington "has not heard a convincing argument from Ukrainian leaders that the possible targets within missile range in Russia would make a significant difference in Ukraine's path to victory," the daily writes

WASHINGTON, September 24. /TASS/. Kiev has so far failed to persuade Washington to let it use US weapons for strikes deep into Russian territory, The Washington Post quotes sources as saying.

Washington "has not heard a convincing argument from Ukrainian leaders that the possible targets within missile range in Russia would make a significant difference in Ukraine's path to victory," the daily writes. According to administration officials, the expected effect of lifting the ban "is not worth the risk of a Russian escalation" such a decision could bring about.

The daily also notes that "European military officials and diplomats emphatically disagreed that allowing the longer-range strikes into Russia would only have limited impact" and only result in the loss of missiles. As the WP points out, European officials "condemned" the policy of refusing to lift the restrictions on Western weapons.

The head of the Ukrainian president's office, Andrey Yermak, said earlier that Britain and France had not yet approved the use of their long-range Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles against targets in Russia.

Earlier, the British daily The Times said that US President Joe Biden was unlikely to announce his decision regarding the use of Western long-range missiles to strike deep into Russian territory following his meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on September 26 in Washington.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told the media on September 12 that Ukraine was unable to carry out strikes deep into Russian territory on its own without Western help, because it needed intelligence from satellites and flight missions to do so. The Russian leader noted that NATO countries were now not just debating about Kiev's possible use of Western long-range weapons. They are essentially deciding whether to get directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict. Putin indicated that Moscow would make decisions based on the threats that would be posed to Russia.

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