Give Ukraine Weapons And Permission To Hit Deep Russian Targets

ANALYSIS – There are those who say we should abandon Ukraine in its war against the invading Russian army. I'm not one of them. I have, however, pushed hard on the idea that Europe must lead in the efforts to arm and sustain Ukraine.

One of my biggest complaints about the Biden-Harris policy toward Ukraine (beyond their blank check, “just throw money at it” approach) is their cowardice and incrementalism in arming Ukraine. And its lack of winning strategy.

The administration vows to back Ukraine till the end, but consistently balks at giving them the weapons and ability to fight Russia on anything resembling equal terms. And then, much later, they finally give them the weapons anyways, after the need has diminished. (RELATED: Biden Sends New Long-Range Weapons To Ukraine)

This happened with a slew of arms, including earlier the M-1 Abrams tank and more recently F-16 fighters. But as the situation on the ground becomes more dire, U.S. and allied war fatigue is setting in, and Ukraine has actually invaded Russian territory, there is a new urgency to provide Kyiv the weapons and permissions to hit deep Russian targets.

At the moment, the U.S. and U.K. have not given Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles against targets inside Russia allegedly for fear of escalation.

But House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Mike McCaul (R-Texas), a major GOP critic of the Biden-Harris national security approach, has been leading a pressure campaign and organized a letter sent Monday urging Biden to remove limits on Ukraine's use of the missiles.

And now, the lame duck Joe Biden says he is considering lifting restrictions on Ukraine using U.S. long-range missiles against Russia. (RELATED: Report: White House Set To Approve Strikes Deep Inside Russia Using Western Missiles)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for restrictions on Western-supplied, long-range weapons to be lifted so his military can strike Russian airfields and missile launchers, as well as the ammunition depots, fuel storage and command and control centers that are critical to Moscow's war.

If permission is finally granted, it would follow the Biden pattern of initially resisting but eventually allowing Kyiv to have greater capabilities.

The ability to use U.S. long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) would allow Kyiv to strike back in response to Moscow's use of deadly “glide bombs.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. is close to an agreement to give Ukraine Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) long-range cruise missiles that could alter the strategic landscape of the war by putting more of Russia in range of powerful, precision-guided bombs.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) provides an excellent interactive map here showing known Russian military and paramilitary objects in range of Ukrainian ATACMS, at least as of August 26, 2024.

The inclusion of JASSMs in a weapons package is expected to be announced this autumn. However, sources added that once confirmed, deliveries could still take months as Washington would need to work through technical issues before shipment.

The JASSM is a U.S. precision-guided all-weather air-to-ground cruise missile with a maximum range of 187-610 miles, depending on the version.

The missiles' range would theoretically allow Ukraine to strike more than a dozen Russian airfields from within Ukraine.

Politico reports that McCaul believes the devastation from recent Russian attacks has changed the Biden-Harris calculus. He also believes that the White House wants to start brokering a peace deal before our looming elections. (RELATED: Former NATO Chief Says Trump Will Be A ‘Loser' And Wants To ‘Surrender' On Ukraine)

“I think when [Russia] came back with that massive glide bomb attack,” McCaul said. “I think personally that [administration officials] want to try to negotiate something before the election. They're not in any position without any leverage to do so, unless [Ukrainian forces] have some victories.”

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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