Western restrictions on the use of Western weapons to strike Russian targets have made it “impossible to fight” effectively, according to a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky .
"The partners have to take off any restrictions to use these weapons, not just [on] Ukrainian territory but have the possibility to answer, including [on] the territory of Russia, because it's impossible to fight,” Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, told a public forum on the sidelines the NATO summit in Washington .
Yermak’s remarks continued a public diplomatic push to convince President Joe Biden and other Western powers to drop the restrictions on the use of Western weapons that have curtailed Ukrainian military operations throughout the war. Although the pageantry of the 2023 summit in Vilnius was marred by Kyiv’s disappointment that the allies refused to extend an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, Zelensky’s team has focused in Washington on persuading allies, and perhaps especially Republicans , of the need to give Ukrainian forces a free hand.
“The enemy can directly attack our civilians, children, hospitals, schools, and we have these restrictions,” Yermak said. “I think that it will be really a game-changer, and I hope that our partners understand it and agree [to] these decisions as soon as possible.”
Zelensky made that argument in a set-piece speech Tuesday evening at the Ronald Reagan Institute . He denounced the restrictions Biden has imposed while arguing to Republicans that Ukrainian forces could win the war if the United States permitted them to strike key Russian military bases. And his message spurred House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to endorse more aggressive targeting of Russian forces.
“I explained that the will of the Congress was to allow them the flexibility to use the weapons and assistance that were sent to prosecute the war as they see fit,” Johnson told Voice of America’s Ukrainian service after a Wednesday meeting with Zelensky. “I believe that’s what Congress intended.”
Biden and other European countries have sent weapons to Ukraine on the condition that Ukrainian forces not use them against targets inside Russia, for fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin might deem the attacks as provocative. Biden recently eased those restrictions to permit Ukrainian forces to repel attacks on Kharkiv, a major Ukrainian border city, that Russian forces were launching from the safe haven of the Russian territory, but Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s team demurred this week when asked if the policy might be loosened still further.
“We will do everything within our power to either help Ukraine counteract these threats in the air or strike them where they appear,” Chris Smith, the deputy assistant secretary for Eastern Europe in the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, told VOA. “In a sense, this corresponds to our policy. These discussions are ongoing. I do not want to telegraph any of our strikes to the Russians, but we are closely cooperating with Ukraine on this critical issue and we will keep closely cooperating.”
Zelensky’s meeting with the North Atlantic Council on Thursday will give him another chance to press that case in private to the top political leaders of NATO-allied countries.
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“We are looking for some strong decisions, as well, today,” Yermak said. “The war is continuing, and Ukraine showed during this more than two years, that we [are] able to win. And our partners, our friends, exactly understand what we need for this.”
A NATO official directed reporters to previous remarks from Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg about members allowing Ukraine to use their weapons to strike deeper with Russian territory, saying allies should "allow" Ukraine "to do what they require."
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