Zelenskyy on long-range strikes on Russia: We have waited too long, Russia has pulled out its jets

Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine still does not have permission from the United States to launch long-range strikes deep into Russian territory, and Russia has moved its planes to a greater distance.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with American journalist Fareed Zakaria, the full version of which was published by the press service of the Office of the Ukrainian President

Quote: “We had some meetings with [US] officials, and I said: we have waited too long. Now Russia began to move their jets from 100 km, 150 km, 300 to 500.

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After that, I will tell you that now we need more permissions.”

Details: In response to the journalist’s clarifying question whether Ukraine had received permission from the US for long-range strikes on Russian territory, Zelenskyy said: “No, still no.”

Background: 

• On 14 September, the UK news agency Reuters reported that Ukraine initially asked the United States to let it use long-range ATACMS missiles to hit Russian airfields, but now potential targets for Ukraine’s long-range strikes include Russian military command centres, fuel and weapons depots and areas where Russian troops are concentrated.
• On 31 August, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov confirmed that during a meeting with senior US officials, he had handed over a list of targets that Kyiv wants to hit with US long-range ATACMS missiles.
• On 12 September, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin said that allowing Ukraine to strike Russia with Western missiles would mean direct involvement of NATO and European countries in the war in Ukraine.

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