By Deutsche Welle
Nov 18, 2024, 10:41 AM EST
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky was cautious after Washington announced that it authorizes kyiv to use long-range US missiles against Russialimiting itself to saying that these weapons “will speak for themselves.”
Washington “gave the green light to the use of long-range missiles,” he confirmed to the agency on Sunday. AFP an American official. Ukraine, facing the Russian invasion since February 2022, had been demanding this change in strategy for some time.
Zelensky mentioned it in his daily speech on Sunday night, without directly confirming it. Recalling the importance of the “long-range capability” of his Army, the Ukrainian president noted that “today, numerous media outlets report that we have received authorization to take appropriate measures.”
“But bombings are not carried out with the help of words. “Things like this are not announced,” he added. “The missiles will speak for themselves,” Zelensky stressed.
This announcement comes shortly before the departure of Joe Biden from the White House and the return of Republican Donald Trump, very critical of US aid to Ukraine. kyiv fears that the future president will cut off its financial aid or try to force Ukraine to conclude an agreement with Russia.
Zelensky has been demanding authorization to use the missiles for months Storm Shadow British and American missiles ATACMS to attack targets further inside Russian territory. These weapons with a maximum range of several hundred kilometers would allow Ukraine to reach Russian Army logistics centers and the airfields from where its bombers take off. However, several countries, including the United States, have so far refused to give the green light, fearing an escalation with Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that such a decision would mean that “NATO countries are at war against Russia.”
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