Great Britain Foreign Minister in Kiev - Will Ukraine soon be allowed to shoot far?

The foreign ministers of the USA and Great Britain, Antony Blinken and David Lammy, are expected to visit the Ukrainian capital Kiev together today.

This visit could bring closer permission for the beleaguered Ukraine to use Western weapons to attack military targets deep inside Russian territory.

Blinken said before the trip to London that he and his colleague wanted to find out how Ukraine could best be supported in the current situation. They wanted to report this to their bosses for their meeting on Friday. US President Joe Biden will then receive British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Washington. The main issue is the use of US-made ATACMS artillery missiles and British Storm Shadow missiles.

A meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior government representatives is planned in Kiev, the US State Department announced. The trip comes at a critical time for Ukraine, said Blinken. Russia is intensifying its aggression against civilians, key infrastructure and the Ukrainian military. "We are seeing it increase its attacks on cities, people and, in particular, energy infrastructure ahead of the cold months," said the US Secretary of State.

Ukraine has been fending off a large-scale Russian invasion for more than two and a half years. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in Kiev that Ukraine was probably facing the most difficult winter of war to date due to the damage to the energy system. The Ukrainian military also reported Russian airstrikes again on Wednesday night.

Will the restriction on the use of US weapons be lifted?

Until now, the USA has limited the use of its weapons against Russia to defending against the Russian offensive against the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. However, Ukraine has long been asking to be allowed to use long-range US-made weapons against targets far beyond the Russian border. This is the only way to hit Russian military airfields from which fighter jets take off to drop glide bombs or fire missiles. These hit large cities such as Kharkiv, but also Ukrainian trenches on the front line. In Washington, several Republican politicians sent a letter to President Biden calling for the restrictions to be lifted.

However, the ATACMS missiles provided by Washington to date only have a range of just over 300 kilometers. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also recently admitted in Ramstein that the Russian military has been moving its fighter jets to more distant airfields for some time. To date, Ukraine has only used its own drones for attacks in the Russian hinterland, but these carry comparatively few explosives.

Germany has not supplied Ukraine with weapons with comparable ranges. It is tacitly accepted that Ukraine is using German tanks or artillery pieces in its offensive in the Russian region of Kursk, for example. However, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) strictly refuses to supply the most powerful German weapon, the Taurus cruise missile. With a range of 500 kilometers, this could also reach Moscow.

Kiev government expects a difficult winter

In Kiev, Prime Minister Shmyhal spoke of the challenge of ensuring a stable energy supply in the coming heating season. "We have successfully survived three heating seasons." The coming winter will be "no less difficult, perhaps even the most difficult".

Russia began its war against the neighboring country in February 2022, when heating was also still in use. This was followed by two winters, which Ukraine survived despite numerous power cuts. However, Russia's systematic shelling of power and heating plants has paralyzed a large part of Ukraine's energy production this year.

Ukraine receives equipment for its energy sector from all over the world, said Schmyhal. Attempts are being made to put damaged power plants back into operation. In order to make the energy system less vulnerable, it is being organized more decentrally.

Zelensky demands more commitment from his diplomats

President Zelensky is calling on his diplomats to stand up more vigorously for the interests of the country attacked by Russia. The new Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha should reorganize Ukrainian diplomacy "so that we and our partners can react much more actively to challenges". Zelensky said this in his evening video message. He had previously introduced Sybiha as the new minister at the Foreign Ministry.

Zelensky did not mention the previous Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who fell victim to a cabinet reshuffle last week. However, his comments could be interpreted as criticism of Ukrainian diplomacy to date. He said that anyone who stood up for the country in the required way was welcome. "Anyone who does not reach this level should consider whether they should really be in the Foreign Ministry system."

SDA