(Dan Tri) – Ukrainian lawmakers have tried to convince the US to lift the ban on using weapons donated by Washington to attack targets in Russian territory.
Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery provided by the US in Bakhmut (Photo: Getty).
A delegation of five Ukrainian lawmakers last week went to Washington to meet with President Joe Biden administration officials and congressional lawmakers to push the US to reverse the ban on using weapons donated by Washington for attacks.
Moscow launched an attack from the Belgorod region on the Russian border against the Kharkiv region in Ukraine.
David Arahamiya, head of the committee on relations with the US in the Ukrainian parliament, criticized the US ban.
`It’s crazy. Neither the soldiers nor the (Ukrainian) generals understand this ban. So they are urging us, as politicians, to call on (the US) to lift the ban.
Ukraine has long argued that the ability to strike legitimate military targets within Russia is vital to defending Ukraine.
Due to the US ban, Ukraine used its own weapons to attack targets inside Russian territory, including cheap drones to attack Russian targets such as oil refineries.
However, Ukrainian officials say there is no weapon that can replace US-made equipment such as the High Mobility Rocket System (HIMARS) or valuable long-range artillery like the System.
Maksym Skrypchenko, director of Ukraine’s Center for Transatlantic Dialogue, said Russia has moved command centers deep inside the border and out of range of HIMARS.
`The enemy feels absolutely safe. Whenever something goes wrong, Russia can always retreat to their territory, regroup their forces and start a new attack, while Ukraine cannot
Mr. Skrypchenko said that if the ban was lifted before the attack in Kharkov, Ukraine could prevent Russia from concentrating troops on the border.
`The use of weapons such as Stingers will also help repel Russian frontline bombers that drop guided bombs on Ukraine’s frontline cities and defensive positions. Together with the F-16, it can
Ukrainian MP Oleksandra Ustinova, a lawmaker in the group in charge of relations with the US, warned that Kharkiv could become a second Mariupol if the US ban is not lifted.
`If we are not allowed to shoot at Russian weapons on the border right now, we risk losing major cities and territories because they (Russia) know about the restriction (using US weapons)
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in the US argues that US policy is `pointless` and is `severely damaging Ukraine’s ability to defend itself` against Russia’s attack in Kharkov.
Expert George Barros at ISW said that US policy is preventing Ukraine from fighting back against the threat of Russia’s precision-guided glide bombs.
As Russia is making important advances across the eastern front, there are growing calls for more action, including French President Emmanuel Macron floating the idea of sending NATO troops to Ukraine.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron signaled during a trip to Kiev earlier this month that London would not prevent Ukraine from using British weapons to attack Russian territory.
However, the US still resolutely complies with the ban.
John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and a former ambassador to Ukraine, said US policy undermines its own goal of ensuring Russia does not win in
