Ukraine doesn't need US permission to strike back at Russia with homemade weapons, State Department says
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Ukraine can use domestically-produced weapons to hit targets inside Russia, and does not need U.S. permission to do so, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a briefing on Sept. 30.
Kyiv has repeatedly promised it would not attack Russian territory with long-range weapons provided by Western allies without official approval. In turn, Ukraine has carried out successful attacks on targets inside Russia with homemade arms, namely long-range drones.
Over the past year, Ukraine has destroyed or damaged over 200 military facilities in Russia using "drone swarm" technology, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said last month.
According to Miller, Kyiv can use "many" domestically-made weapons, and has "an enormous amount of material to defend itself."
Ukraine is also hoping for permission to use Western-supplied long-range missiles that it already possesses to strike military targets located deep inside Russian territory.
Anticipation had been high last month ahead of meetings between President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Washington, but no announcement on a decision was made.
When asked why Washington could not allow Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons to strike back, the spokesperson said that the White House considers all capabilities, tactics and support for Ukraine comprehensively.
"When we approve any new weapon system or any new tactic, we look at how it’s going to affect the entire battlefield and Ukraine’s entire strategy. And that’s what we’ll continue to do," he added.
"And if you look at the weapons we've provided them, we've made it very clear that they can use them to retaliate against Russian targets across the border that are conducting attacks.
"We are always looking to see if there are additional tools we can provide them."
In late August, Umerov submitted to senior U.S. officials a list of targets that Ukraine wants to hit with U.S.-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles in Russia, which included airfields used by the Russian army to launch strikes against population centers across Ukraine.
