MOSCOW, September 25. /TASS/. Ukraine already has a plan in place to use long-range weapons "outside the country" next year even though the West has not yet given Kiev the go-ahead to use them, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said.

"All operations that we have scheduled for 2025 need to be implemented," Ukraine’s defense chief said in an interview with the Ukrainian news website Levy Bereg. He answered in the affirmative when asked if those will be operations outside the country and whether long-range weapons will be used.

"Plans are in place, all we need now is support from our partners," Umerov explained.

Ukraine has been asking its partners to send more weapons, including long-range missiles, for strikes inside Russia. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who is currently visiting the United States, has been raising this topic almost every day during his trip. However, as The Washington Post wrote on September 24, Kiev has so far failed to persuade Washington that the possible targets within missile range in Russia "would make a significant difference in Ukraine’s path to victory." The head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andrey Yermak, also admitted that Britain and France had not yet approved the use of their long-range Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles against targets inside Russia.

On September 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that Ukraine is unable to strike deep inside Russia without Western assistance, as it needs satellite reconnaissance and flight tasks to do so. The Russian leader also said that NATO countries are not just debating about the potential use of Western long-range weapons by Kiev but that they are deciding whether or not to get involved in the Ukraine conflict directly. Putin emphasized that Moscow would make decisions based on the threats that would be posed to Russia.