'There are no such things as sanctuaries' — Ukraine can conduct strikes deep within Russian territory, Kellogg says
Washington authorizes specific instances where Ukraine can carry out long-range strikes within Russia, U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg said on Sept. 28 in an interview with Fox News.
"The answer is yes, use the ability to hit deep, there are no such things as sanctuaries," Kellogg replied when asked if it is U.S. President Donald Trump's position that Ukraine can conduct long-range strikes.
President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly asked Trump to supply Kyiv with Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles during a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last week.
The U.S. is "looking at" providing Kyiv with Tomahawk missiles as Moscow continues to refuse bilateral and trilateral peace talks brokered by Trump, U.S. Vice President JD Vance confirmed on Sept. 28.
The final decision on whether Ukraine may conduct long-range strikes within Russia falls to Trump on a case-by-case basis, Kellogg noted.
As Ukraine develops long-range missiles and drones of its own, Kyiv continues to rely on weapons provided by its allies to conduct such strikes, which often require authorization from the country supplying the missiles.
In light of Russia's recent provocations, it is more important than ever to be careful not to make a "mistake" when facing Moscow, he said, adding that "this is a global issue, and we should react accordingly."
Russia has intensified violations of the EU's and NATO's airspace in recent weeks. Moscow violated Polish airspace on Sept. 10, prompting Warsaw to shoot down Russian drones over its territory in a first for any NATO member in over three years of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. On Sept. 19, three Russian jets violated Estonian airspace.
As the U.S. allows Ukraine to conduct strikes deep within Russia, Washington is looking into providing Kyiv with additional weapons.
"That is one of the reasons I believe that this last week, and it has been confirmed, that President Zelensky asked President Trump to give Tomahawk missiles," Kellogg said, adding that the final decision has not yet been made.
As Russia continues to press along the front line with little progress and high losses, Kellogg noted that Moscow is not meeting its goals as it wages its war against Ukraine.
"Russia is not winning this war. If they (were) winning, they would be in Kyiv, Odesa, they would be over the Dnipro river," he said.
Russia has lost approximately 1,109,590 troops in Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, according to the latest assessment of the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces on Sept. 29.
Trump's position marks a shift from earlier in the year. The U.S. leader previously criticized Ukrainian strikes on infrastructure within Russian territory.
In a letter published Aug. 22, Trump told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban he was "very angry" about Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia's Druzhba oil pipeline.
In recent weeks, Trump has instead increasingly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin as the U.S. fails to broker an end to Russia's war against Ukraine.
"I'm very dissatisfied with what Russia is doing and what President Putin is doing," Trump told reporters during a press conference on Sept. 25. "I haven't liked it at all. He's killing people for no reason whatsoever."
