Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is looking to the United States for more help in its defense against a Russian invasion. Zelenskky wants the U.S.to help identify Russian targets it could strike with its own arsenal. Zelenskyy and his military also want the green light to use U.S-supplied weapons to hit targets inside Russian borders.
The United States and Ukraine’s international allies have thus far barred Kyiv from using their weapons outside of Ukrainian borders. Zelenskyy wants that to change and so do some international and former U.S. officials.
On Monday, May 21, Zelenskyy said he is negotiating with Western allies to bring a change in weapons policy. Others have also called for the foreign weapons restrictions to be lifted as well, including Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
“From the beginning we have made the mistake of limiting Ukrainians because it could be seen as an escalation,” Landsbergis said. “Only one side has rules imposed on it. We must abandon these rules that we created.
Former U.S. Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland also said that Russian targets outside Kyiv’s borders should be “fair game,” considering Russia isn’t playing by the same rules.
The plea from Kyiv comes as Russia continues to make military advances near the Ukrainian border. On Monday, top U.S. military leaders said Russian President Vladimir Putin has opened “another front” in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, which is home to the country’s second largest city.
Despite Russia’s gains, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin maintained that American weapons should not be used beyond Ukrainian territory, signaling that U.S. policy is unlikely to change for now.
In April, the U.S. approved more than $60 billion in aid to Ukraine. The military package included artillery and munitions for air defense. However, Zelenskyy is seeking more from the U.S., including two new Patriot air defense systems for Kharkiv from the United States. The U.S. supplied one battery in 2022 but only sent munitions for the Patriot air defense system this time. Germany committed to sending one system in April, a move praised by Austin.
Military experts warn that if the Russian offensive ramps up, even more Russian forces could retake Kharkiv.
Zelenskyy said he’s still waiting on the delivery of F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium and Norway. In the meantime, he said that if they could not deliver the jets right away, neighboring NATO allies could use their jets to shoot down Russian missiles.
While military aid continues to come into Ukraine, humanitarian aid has fallen. The United Nations Refugee Agency said that more than 4 million people are displaced in Ukraine and funding is down from the same time last year.