Zelenskyy Appealing to Allies for Long-Range Missile Deployment

"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."

"We need to make Russian cities and even Russian soldiers think about what they need: peace or Putin."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

"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."

"We support their request for permission, but it's still a decision of our allies."

Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair

Still from video: Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at allies' Ramstein Air Base meeting

Speaking to American and allied military leaders at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, President Zelenskyy once more emphasized forcefully the need for Kyiv to have the West loosen restrictions on weapons use by the Ukrainian military, allowing it to target Russian air bases and launch sites by the advanced long-range weapons they supply, to hit Russian targets further flung from the border. Russia's own technically superior weaponry have been striking Ukrainian bases, along with Ukraine energy sites, and civilian targets claiming them to be military strikes, with random abandon.

An in-person meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base gave Zelenskyy the opportunity to make the case anew that Ukraine's counteroffensive advance could be immensely more effective without the constraints imposed upon its military on the use of the Western-supplied weaponry. Some of the defence leaders representing the over 50 partner nations co-ordinating the war's weapons aid were clearly impressed by the tenor of Zelenskyy's argument.

A series of deadly Russian airstrikes of recent vintage, including one of the latest, with Russian munitions hitting a Ukrainian military training centre and nearby hospital, killing over 50 people, injuring hundreds, emphasized Zelenskyy's plea. Only several days later the Kremlin fired five ballistic missiles in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region's city of Pavlohrad where at least 50 people were injured, according to regional Governor Serhii Lysak.

President Zelenskyy's address appealing to the assembled representatives had a major principal in mind; President Joe Biden who remains yet to be convinced that his administration should take long overdue steps to ease its restrictions, given the U.S. is the fount of advanced weaponry made available to Kyiv far in excess of any other allied nation. Ukraine received the all-clear from the Biden administration to fire U.S.-provided missiles in self defence into Russia but at a distance limited to targets deemed to represent a direct threat.

 

Honor guards shoot into the air during the funeral ceremony of six Ukrainian servicemen killed in a Russian rocket attack at a Ukrainian military academy, during their funeral ceremony in Poltava, Ukraine, Sept. 7, 2024.

The reason given amounts to concerns over the potential of escalation, as well as Vladimir Putin's repeated reference to Russia's nuclear stockpile and threats of limited strategic nuclear use should he deem any occasion requires the flexing of Moscow's nuclear muscle threat. As a stopgap, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin announced a $250 million additional weapons provision that would include air defence munitions and artillery.

 

"Many countries [are] in favour. Many, many. But the question is not the number of countries, but countries who give [those]missiles", said Laurynas Kasciunas, among the multiple countries that appeared persuaded Ukraine should be green-lighted. Their sheer weight of agreement on the issue is thought to have the potential to urge the Biden administration to act on their near consensus. Canada, with no long-range munitions of its own agreed that other Western allies that do, should agree to Kyiv's appeal.

Now in the midst of its first offensive operations of the war, Ukraine faces a significant threat near a key hub in the Donbas by Russian forces. Kyiv recognizes its time is running short to secure ongoing military support before the U.S. presidential election takes place in November. Should the Republicans win the presidency with Donald Trump at the White House, the question looms large whether a renewed Republican term in office for the explosively opinionated former president would agree to a continuation of its costly support of Ukraine.

Reminding the gathering of Ukraine's success in its surprise assault inside the Kursk region of Russia, Zelenskyy repeated that his troops captured about 1,300 square kilometres of Russian territory while killing or injuring some 6,000 Russian servicemen. Demonstrating just how efficient, courageous and professional a military Ukraine relies  upon, and what it could conceivably manage given a green light to use all the advanced weaponry at its disposal to further gain advantages over its enemy.

Admittedly, said Austin, Kursk has placed Russia on the defensive; however "we know Putin's malice runs deep", and the setback has not stopped Moscow from pressing on around Pokrovsk, critical to Ukraine as a supply route. Inspiring President Zelenskyy's riposte that promised weapons systems are too slow in arrival. "The number of air defence systems that have not yet been delivered is significant", he reminded Pentagon chief Austin.

Zelenskyy was flanked by his defense minister, Rustem Umerov, and Umerov's US counterpart Lloyd Austin as he gave remarks on arrival in Ramstein   Image: Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images