Ukraine needs the ability to strike deep within Russia now, President Volodymyr Zelensky urged.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are seen during the Ukraine Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base, on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024.RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Ukraine needs the ability to strike deep within Russia now, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged top U.S. and allied military leaders Friday in Germany, as Kyiv continues to press its case that without long-range strikes and bolstered air defenses, it faces a bleak winter.
“We need to have this long-range capability, not only on the divided territory of Ukraine, but also on the Russian territory, so that Russia is motivated to seek peace,” Zelenskyy told the contact group. “We need to make Russian cities and even Russian soldiers think about what they need: peace or Putin.”
“One of the things President Zelenskyy and his ministers have made very clear to us is that they are suffering significant attacks from air bases and military installations located within Russia,” Blair said. “We support their request for permission, but it's still a decision of our allies.” Recent deadly airstrikes by Russia have renewed Zelenskyy’s calls for the U.S. to further loosen restrictions and obtain even greater Western capabilities to strike deeper inside Russia. Zelenskyy also said systems that were already promised have been too slow to arrive.German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the systems promised, particularly Patriot air defense systems, need to be delivered to help Ukraine defend its electrical grid and infrastructure during winter fighting.
Western partner nations were working with Ukraine to source a substitute missile for its Soviet-era S-300 air defense systems, Austin said. “I would just put JASSM in that category, it’s something that is always being looked at,” LaPlante said. “Anything that’s an air-to-ground weapon is always being looked at.”
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