Washington has authorized specific cases in which Ukraine can carry out long-range missile attacks on Russian territory, said U.S. special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.
The American official was asked in an interview with the American television station Fox News whether Donald Trump’s position is that Ukraine can launch long-range attacks into Russia.
"I think, reading what he and Vice President Vance said, as well as Secretary Rubio, the answer is yes. Use the ability to strike deep, there are no sanctuaries," Kellogg stated.
No decision has been made for Tomahawk
The final decision regarding Ukraine's ability to carry out long-range missile attacks inside Russia belongs to Trump and is made on a case-by-case basis, emphasized the U.S. emissary. "Given Russia's recent provocations, it is more important than ever to be careful not to make a mistake when dealing with Moscow," he mentioned, adding that "this is a global issue and we should react accordingly."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Trump to provide Kiev with Tomahawk cruise missiles, which have a range of up to 2,500 km, during a meeting on the sidelines of last week's United Nations General Assembly.
Washington is currently considering the possibility of providing additional arms to Kiev, Kellogg also said. "This is one of the reasons why I believe that in the past week, and it has been confirmed, President Zelensky asked President Trump to give him Tomahawk missiles," he stated, adding that the final decision has not yet been made.
As Ukraine develops its own long-range missiles and drones, Kiev continues to rely on weapons provided by its allies to carry out such attacks, which in some cases require authorization from the missile-supplying country, notes Kyiv Independent.
Russia is not winning this war
While Russia continues to press on the front line with few advances and heavy losses, Kellogg noted that Moscow is not achieving its objectives in Ukraine. "Russia is not winning this war. If they were winning, they would be in Kiev, Odesa, they would be beyond the Dnieper River," he said.
Russia has lost approximately 1,109,590 soldiers in Ukraine since the beginning of its large-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, according to the latest assessment by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from September 29.
Trump's position marks a change from earlier this year. The American leader had previously criticized Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure.
In a letter published on August 22, Trump told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that he was "very angry" about Ukrainian drone attacks on the Russian oil pipeline Druzhba.
In recent weeks, Trump has increasingly criticized Vladimir Putin, with the American president frustrated that he has not been able to mediate an end to Russia's war against Ukraine.
"I am very unhappy with what Russia is doing and what President Putin is doing. I didn't like it at all. Killing people for no reason," Trump told reporters during a press conference on September 25.
T.D.