Zelensky Pushes US for Approval of Deeper Strikes into Russia

(Patria) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has intensified pressure on the United States to allow Kyiv to strike military targets deep within Russian territory after his representatives met with high-ranking US officials in Washington on Saturday, Reuters reported.

Washington has provided Ukraine with over $50 billion in military aid since 2022, but has restricted the use of its weapons to Ukrainian soil and defensive cross-border operations.

Zelensky stated that guided aerial bombs killed six people and injured 97 in Kharkiv on Friday, with more attacks on Saturday. He claimed these could only have been prevented by "strikes on Russian military airfields, their bases, and the logistics of Russian terror".

In his nightly video address, he said: "Every day we discuss this with our partners. We persuade. We present arguments."

He asserted that clearing Ukrainian skies of Russian guided aerial bombs would be a "strong step to force Russia to seek an end to the war and a just peace".

Appealing to the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, he stated:

"We need the capabilities to truly and fully protect Ukraine and Ukrainians. We also need permissions for long-range capabilities and your long-range shells and missiles."

Without providing details, he mentioned that his representatives "provided all the necessary details" to their Ukrainian partners.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who is in Washington for meetings with US officials and experts, told CNN that Kyiv has demonstrated that Russian airfields used for strikes on Ukrainian cities are within range for deep strikes.

"We explained what capabilities we need to protect citizens from the Russian terror that Russians are inflicting on us, so I hope we have been heard," Umerov said in an interview late Friday.

Zelensky is expected to make a similar plea in person next month, when he will present a "Victory Plan" to President Joe Biden towards the end of his visit to the Oval Office and attend meetings of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who led Kyiv's delegation, said on X that she discussed steps needed to restore Ukraine's energy system, including a "significant contribution" from an $800 million energy sector financing package announced in June. Russian air strikes have hit more than half of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, she noted.

Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak joined Umerov in briefing US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the battlefield situation, according to the presidential office.

Speaking at the end of the week when Russia attacked Ukraine with over 400 missiles and drones, Yermak stated the importance of Ukraine receiving weapons from existing defense packages as soon as possible, the presidential office reported.