Zelenskyy pushing US to lift restrictions on weapons use
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The United States is making it harder for Ukraine to defend itself by maintaining restrictions on the use of U.S.-supplied weapons to strike military targets in Russian territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with The New York Times on May 21.
In the interview, the president said Ukraine's inability to make full use of advanced weapons creates a "huge advantage" for Moscow. Russia clearly exploits this by conducting cross-border air and missile strikes in northeastern Ukraine.
Zelenskyy’s requests for Washington to lift the restrictions come at a critical time for Kyiv, as Ukrainian forces are losing ground to Russian assaults, and the most recent package of U.S. military assistance is yet to arrive in full.
The newspaper describes Zelenskyy's comments as "among his most full-throated appeals yet to the United States and its NATO allies for more help." During the interview, Zelenskyy conveyed a clear sense of frustration and surprise at the West's reluctance to take bolder steps to ensure Ukraine's victory.
Read also: Restrictions on use of US weapons to strike Russia remain in place — Secretary Austin
Additionally, the president stated that NATO should shoot down Russian cruise missiles in Ukrainian airspace. Zelenskyy assured that this would be purely a defensive tactic and would not pose a risk of direct military confrontation with Russian military personnel.
“So my question is, what’s the problem? Why can’t we shoot them down? Is it defense? Yes,” the president said.
“Is it an attack on Russia? No. Are you shooting down Russian planes and killing Russian pilots? No. So what’s the issue with involving NATO countries in the war? There is no such issue.”
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
