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US secretary of state Antony Blinken and UK foreign secretary David Lammy held talks in Kyiv with Ukrainian officials on Wednesday about possibly lifting restrictions on Ukraine using western-made weapons to conduct attacks deep inside Russia.
Blinken and Lammy highlighted how Russia had stepped up its attacks on Ukraine in recent months, as they accused Iran of sending ballistic missiles to Moscow for use in the war.
US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he was “working” on Kyiv’s request to lift restrictions on using the US-made Army Tactical Missile System to target military sites far inside Russia that are used to launch strikes against Ukraine.
“When it comes to escalation, we have seen Russia has escalated its attacks and now we’ve seen this action of Russia acquiring Iranian missiles. If anyone is taking escalatory action, it would appear to be Putin,” said Blinken.
“Escalation is a factor we consider [in whether to lift the restrictions on the use of western weapons] but it is not the only factor.”
Blinken and Lammy said the issue would be discussed by Biden when he holds talks with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Washington on Friday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who held talks with Blinken and Lammy, said on Wednesday he wanted to “count on some strong decisions”.
Zelenskyy has been lobbying western allies for permission to use the ATACMS and UK-France-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles on targets deep inside Russia, saying the weapons will limit Moscow’s ability to launch attacks.
In August alone, 184 civilians were killed in Russian strikes, according to the UN. Several attacks followed in September, including one on the city of Poltava in central Ukraine when 55 students were killed at a military college.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, several of Kyiv’s main allies have gradually overcome their concerns about allowing it to use sophisticated western weapons against Russia.
But the Biden administration is split about the case for letting Ukraine deploy US-made long-range missiles against targets deep inside Russia. While the state department is open to Ukraine’s request, the Pentagon is sceptical.
In Kyiv, Blinken announced a $700mn package of US aid to help repair energy infrastructure after repeated attacks by Russia. Lammy announced £600mn of UK aid, including £242mn for humanitarian, energy and other needs.
Blinken also said he was in Kyiv to reaffirm that the US wants Ukraine to win the war, after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday did not directly answer a question about whether he wanted Ukraine to win. During a debate with vice-president Democratic candidate Kamala Harris he only said he wanted the conflict to “stop”.