Newsman: Ukrainian officials are preparing to present a list of long-range targets in Russia to top U.S. national security officials that they think Kyiv’s military can hit if Washington were to lift its restrictions on U.S. weapons according to a report by POLITICO. Ukraine has previously provided the U.S. some of its potential targets in Russia, this list is supposed to be more tailored.
“There should be no restrictions on the range of weapons for Ukraine, while terrorists have no such restrictions,” Zelenskyy said in a statement Monday. “Defenders of life should face no restrictions on weapons.”
Ukraine’s defense minister, Rustem Umerov, and Andriy Yermak, senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will be in D.C. this week and plan to present the list to the administration during their discussions, according to three people familiar with Ukraine’s efforts.
It is not clear exactly when Umerov and Yermak will arrive in Washington or what other meetings they plan to have while in the United States POLITICO report also said.
On previous such trips, the Ukrainian officials have met with national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
In a briefing with reporters Monday, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said there were “no changes” to U.S. policy with respect to the restrictions.
“This is not a new desire by President Zelenskyy by any stretch,” he said. “But as I’ve said many, many times, we’ll keep the conversations with the Ukrainians going, but we’re going to keep them private.”
The White House has not said that it is considering any plan to change its policy.
Kyiv and Washington are in talks for Biden and Zelenskyy to meet in-person at the U.N. General Assembly in New York next month, the U.S. official said
