Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he intended to push President Joe Biden to provide long-range missiles as the nation seeks to continue its fight against Russia. Biden previously promised not to.
Zelensky conceded that Ukraine is struggling to maintain enough ammunition, saying that “we do need long range weapons. This deficit remains and I will raise this issue.”
The Daily Mail reported that French President Emmanuel Macron intended to provide long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Ukraine is apparently still in the throes of a counteroffensive, but western allies have been underwhelmed by the modest gains. Macron said Paris would provide the SCALP surface-to-air missile system to help Ukraine strike targets deep within Russian-occupied territory.
Macron said: “We have decided to deliver new missiles allowing deep strikes to Ukraine.” But it’s not clear how many France intends to send of the 400 that it has in its possession.
However, the US has not yet approved sending missiles that have a range of up to 190 miles amid concerns that Ukraine could fire them deep into Russian-occupied territory, leading to escalation.
A number of US senators have supported sending long-range missiles, with Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Neb) saying: “Well I have not seen what President Macron has proposed, but any additional weapons provided to Ukraine so they can win this war I think is a good thing.”
“[I] certainly appreciate the French president’s willingness to deliver more weapons and better weapons.”
Zelensky pledged to limit the use of cluster munitions, which the Biden administration has said are a "war crime," but is sending to Ukraine anyway. Zelensky acknowledged that this is a subject over which there had been “slight disagreements” after Biden decided to provide them.
“We are fighting only on our land. They are killing our people,” Zelensky said, saying that Ukraine would only use the cluster munition “against military targets, only against the occupied territory of Ukraine. This is something that is under control. It is not going to be used anywhere else.”
This runs counter to Biden's initial approach to cluster munitions, which the White House criticized Russia for using when the conflict in Ukraine began. Over 100 nations have signed treaties banning their use, due to the impacts of shrapnel and the long-term issue of unexplored ordinance. Biden said the cluster bombs are being sent because Ukraine is running out of ammunition.
The statements came after NATO roundly rejected Ukraine’s plea for membership in the organization.
