Blinken pushes Biden to back Ukraine’s strikes on Russian targets

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Kyiv a few days ago, has started leaning towards Ukraine's stance that the country has the right to attack targets in Russia with missiles received from the West, reported the American newspaper "New York Times" on Thursday.

The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, is trying to convince President Joe Biden to change his stance on the use of American weapons by Ukraine against Russia.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Biden has consistently blocked the possibility of Ukraine using American weapons to attack Russian targets. The US President fears such a decision could lead to the "World War III" outbreak. However, as "The New York Times" (NYT) reports, fewer and fewer members of the presidential administration share this view.

According to the NYT, the US Department of State is conducting intensive lobbying efforts around President Biden. The goal of these efforts is to convince the president's collaborators to change their stance on Ukraine's use of American weapons.

The Department of State argues that Kyiv should have the right to attack Russian rocket launchers and artillery positions located near the border with Ukraine using Western missiles. "NYT" points out that the current lack of this capability has been one of the factors that allowed Russia to advance in the Kharkiv province.

The proposal from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was recently submitted, so it's difficult to assess whether it will gain broad support among administration officials. As stated in "NYT," this proposal has not yet been formally presented to the president.

"NYT" also reports that the US administration is considering changing its stance on training Ukrainian soldiers. Instead of organizing such training in Germany, as has been the case until now, the newspaper notes that holding the training sessions on Ukrainian soil is being considered. The newspaper notes, however, that such a decision would require the deployment of American military personnel to Ukraine, which President Biden has always opposed, fearing Russia's reaction.

Ukrainian authorities have argued for many months that they have the full right to attack targets on Russian territory, even with weapons received from the West. However, the United States holds a different opinion. As "NYT" reports, Washington has so far conditioned further arms deliveries to Ukraine on Kyiv's commitment not to use the received support for attacks on targets outside Ukraine.

The US stance on this issue differs from that of the United Kingdom. As "NYT" notes, the United Kingdom has "quietly" eased its earlier restrictions and allowed Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles to attack Russian targets on a larger scale.