Ukrainian Foreign Minister meets with US Secretary of State and expresses cautious optimism on long-range strikes on Russia

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday (13 November), has said he is "cautiously optimistic" after discussing the possibility of long-range strikes against Russia.

As reported by Reuters, Ukraine has long called on its allies to allow long-range strikes against Russia with Western-supplied weapons.

Allies, including the United States, do not allow the use of the weapons provided to strike deep into Russia for fear of further escalation. 

"We discussed issues of long-range strikes and Euro-Atlantic integration. And here we also are cautiously optimistic," Sybiha stated. 

Sybiha also added that his talks in Brussels also concerned military aid for Ukraine. 

"We have a clear picture – a clear timeframe, clear volumes – of what will be delivered to Ukraine by the end of the year. This helps us strategically to plan our actions on the battlefield," he said. 

Sybiha noted that the military aid would include weapons and funds for arms production agreements. 

Media outlets previously reported that the US Intelligence Committee and the Department of Defense believe that allowing Ukraine to launch long-range strikes into Russian territory will bring Kyiv more problems than benefits, and they recommended that the policy not be changed.

In September, US President Joe Biden hinted at the possibility of providing Ukraine with authorisation to use long-range weapons to strike Russia, saying that his administration was "working that out now".

Nonetheless, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin defended the US restrictions on long-range strikes with Western weapons for Ukraine and insisted that it could defeat Russia even without such a capability.