While President Donald Trump agreed to lift the restriction on Ukraine using long-range Western munitions to hit targets inside Russia.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a US official explained, “The Trump administration has lifted a key restriction on Ukraine’s use of some long-range missiles provided by Western allies, enabling Kyiv to step up attacks on targets inside Russia and increase pressure on the Kremlin.”
On Tuesday, Ukraine claimed to have successfully targeted a plant in Russia using a British Storm Shadow missile. The Storm Shadow is a cruise missile with a range of 350 miles.
While the munition is produced in the UK, the US provides Ukraine with the targeting intelligence it needs to conduct strikes inside Russia, allowing Washington to veto any target proposed by Kiev.
A US official told the WSJ that Trump lifted the restriction in an effort to bring the conflict to an end. “This is a war that never would have happened had President Trump been President, something President Putin himself acknowledged, and President Trump is trying to get it stopped.” They continued, “The President also negotiated a historic agreement to allow NATO allies to purchase American-made weapons.”
President Joe Biden initially gave Ukraine approval to use Western munitions to strike Russia, but that policy was placed under review by President Trump. Officials speaking with the WSJ said the Department of War has not approved of any Ukrainian strikes inside Russia with Western arms “until recently.”
While the WSJ does not specify when Trump lifted the restriction, the reporting follows a contentious meeting between the President and Zelensky at the White House. Sources said the summit turned into a shouting match, and Trump pressed Zelensky to make a deal with Putin to end the war.
Trump publicly rejected Zelensky’s request for long-range American Tomahawk missiles.
Trump later denied the WSJ story in a Truth Social post. “The Wall Street Journal story on the U.S.A.’s approval of Ukraine being allowed to use long-range missiles deep into Russia is FAKE NEWS! The U.S. has nothing to do with those missiles, wherever they may come from, or what Ukraine does with them!” he wrote.
