Poland: Ukrainian offensive does not change West's anti-escalation stance

(Patria) - Ukraine is reaping "enormous political gains" from its military offensive into western Russia, but the incursion does not change the West's "anti-escalation approach," Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said, Reuters reported.

Ukraine says it has captured more than 80 settlements across more than 1,150 square kilometers in Kursk since August 6 in the largest incursion into Russia since World War II.

"This offensive does not change the West's anti-escalation approach," Siemoniak said, when asked in a Reuters interview late on Friday whether Kyiv's military gains could change its allies' stance on the use of weapons they supply for the war with Russia.

Western governments providing military aid to Ukraine after Russia's invasion in February 2022 have so far refused to allow Kyiv to use long-range weapons due to the risk of escalating the conflict.

"I think for Western countries, this is an event in terms of changing Ukraine's image - Kyiv's political gains are enormous after less than two weeks," Siemoniak said.

The United States so far considers Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region a defensive move appropriate for Kyiv to use American equipment, officials in Washington said this week, but expressed concern about possible complications as Ukrainian troops push further into enemy territory.

Warsaw has been one of Ukraine's staunchest allies, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk struck a similar tone to Washington earlier this week, saying Ukraine has every right to conduct a war response in a way that effectively paralyzes Russia.

An advisor to the Ukrainian president said on Friday that Kyiv's cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk region was necessary to convince Moscow to start "fair" peace talks. Russia called the Ukrainian incursion a major provocation and promised to retaliate with a "worthy response".

The US and Western powers, seeking to avoid direct military confrontation with Russia, said that Ukraine did not notify them in advance and that Washington was not involved.