On September 11th, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrived in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, at a crucial moment during the Russia-Ukraine war. The question of whether the US will allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike deep military targets in Russia has attracted considerable attention.
Blinken, during a joint press conference with Lammy in London on Tuesday, stated that he would be holding a series of meetings with senior Ukrainian government officials. He expressed his intention to directly hear from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and others about Kyiv’s goals in the war and how Washington can assist in achieving them.
“I think this is a key moment for Ukraine, as we are entering the intense autumn fighting season with Russia’s aggression escalating,” Blinken remarked.
Zelenskyy has been urging Western countries to provide longer-range missiles, including the US’ long-range ATACMS missiles and the UK’s Storm Shadow missiles, and to lift restrictions on targeting deep military facilities in Russia.
Officials from the US and European countries are concerned that such actions could lead to a direct conflict between the West and Russia. However, they also recognize that Ukraine needs more assistance to turn the tide of the war.
US President Joe Biden hinted on Tuesday night that there is still room for compromise. When asked whether the US would lift restrictions on Ukraine using long-range weapons in the conflict with Russia, Biden stated that his administration is “addressing this issue.”
Blinken declined to reveal whether Washington would allow the use of long-range weapons in Russia’s deep territory. He emphasized that multiple factors are being considered in this decision, not just viewing it as a weapon system.
The Kremlin stated on Wednesday that if the US allows Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles to strike deep into Russia, Moscow will take a “proportional response.” It is believed that Moscow suspects this decision has already been made.
Russian Lower House Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said that if the US and its allies allow Kyiv to use long-range weapons, Moscow will consider it as involvement in the war.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been ongoing for two and a half years, with the Ukrainian military facing increased pressure. Moscow is focusing its forces on attacking eastern Ukraine.
To regain some initiative and spread out Russian forces, Ukraine sent troops to Russia’s Kursk region for a large-scale cross-border raid last month.
However, after initially making rapid progress, Ukraine’s offensive has stalled. A senior Russian commander said on Wednesday that their forces had regained control of about ten settlements.
Later this month, Zelenskyy will visit the US to present a plan to Biden and the two potential successors after the November presidential elections, aiming to bring the end of the war closer.
On September 10th, Blinken mentioned that Russia has acquired ballistic missiles from Iran and could potentially use them in Ukraine within weeks. He warned that the cooperation between Moscow and Tehran threatens broader European security.
He stated that Washington has privately warned Iran that supplying ballistic missiles to Russia would mark a “sharp escalation” in the situation, leading the US to impose new sanctions on Iran.
Both Russia and Iran have denied Blinken’s claims.
On September 11th, the UK announced sanctions on ten ships in Russia’s “shadow fleet,” stating that these vessels used illegal means to evade Western sanctions on Russian oil.
Foreign Secretary Lammy stated in a declaration, “Today’s sanctions further weaken Russia’s ability to conduct oil trading through its shadow fleet. We will continue to send a clear message to Russia with our partners. The international community supports Ukraine, and we will not tolerate this illegal fleet.”
The “shadow fleet” is one of Russia’s methods to circumvent international sanctions, consisting of approximately 600 ships, accounting for about 10% of the global Wet Cargo Ship fleet. It transports around 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, providing substantial funding for Russia’s war machine.
Some of these ships also serve as Russia’s listening posts, while others are believed to transport weapons equipment to Russia. Notably, the ownership structures of these ships are opaque or lack proper insurance, making them difficult to track or enforce compliance with Western laws.
(This article references reporting from Reuters)