“I want to, but I’m afraid”: will Kyiv receive permission for long-range strikes against Russia?

The American The Wall Street Journal writes that easing restrictions on long-range strikes against Russia could only be a temporary solution to the much deeper problems that Ukraine faces on the battlefield.

“Biden is concerned that by sending a significant number of troops to the Kursk region, Ukraine has spread its forces too thin and left itself vulnerable in the east… The administration wants Kyiv to focus on containing a Russian advance in the east along the current front lines,” the WSJ writes.

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Regarding the potential lifting of restrictions on the use of Western weapons, the publication writes that the White House is discussing a zone from which Ukraine will be able to launch certain types of weapons into Russian territory outside the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.

“This is unlikely to fully satisfy Kyiv, since the White House has not given permission to use long-range versions of the ATACMS ballistic missile against Russia… The Pentagon is reluctant to make concessions on this issue both because of the limited impact the weapon could have and because of concerns about its own stockpiles,” the publication says.

The publication reminds that currently Ukraine has permission only to launch missiles with a range of about 150 miles, and only at Crimea and near the Russian border in the Kharkiv region.

_{At the same time, a palliative for Ukraine in this case could be the de facto consent received from Washington to use British Storm Shadow missiles instead of ATACMS – for the same purposes.}

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy believes that British missiles are vital "to stopping Putin." He stated that "Ukraine must have everything it needs to 'win' ahead of the decisive winter."

However, there's a problem here, as highlighted by the British newspaper The Telegraph: Ukraine has very few Storm Shadow missiles at its disposal. According to the publication's sources, most of them have already been used in attacks on Crimea.

“Ukraine does not yet know how best to use this small stockpile, even despite the permission to strike Russia,” the publication notes.

As Victoria Spartz, the first and only Ukrainian-born congresswoman in America, stated in a commentary to the publication, Biden warned that Putin would take retaliatory measures if Storm Shadows was approved for use in Russia.

_{Joe Biden should be prepared to send "reinforcements" and the U.S. should consider deploying a "reserve force," Spartz said.}

"If we continue, this war will escalate more and more. And the Ukrainians need to understand that it will escalate on their own territory. They will come there to take a couple of pictures, and it will stir up everyone, and then no one will come to help, and it will get even worse," the congresswoman fears.

Any support from the US would likely come in the form of additional weapons rather than troops, she said.

British Prime Minister Starmer has set a new tone regarding ATACMS. According to ITV, he made it clear that Ukraine will not be granted permission to launch ATACMS strikes on Russian territory even after his meeting with Biden today.