No shelling of Russian areas
ISW: US rules bring disadvantages for Ukraine
May 18, 2024, 11:52 a.m
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Ukraine also wants to use US weapons to strike against Russian territory. According to experts, this could improve their chances of defending themselves against Moscow’s war of aggression. But the USA has so far blocked itself. And Russia is also warning of an escalation.
From the point of view of experts, Ukraine has disadvantages in the defense against the Russian war of aggression because it is not allowed to use US weapons against targets on the territory of the neighboring country. According to an analysis by the Institute for War Studies (ISW) in Washington, Russia is taking advantage of the restrictions on the use of weapons imposed by the USA and the West to attack from a protected area directly from the area on the border with Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously called for US weapons to be used to strike against Russian territory. So far, the country has used weapons of its own production for this purpose. According to the Pentagon, the United States is providing the weapons so that Ukraine can liberate its occupied territories, but not for attacks on Russia itself.
However, Britain and the US have indicated in recent days that these bans could be relaxed. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Ukraine this week that the country would ultimately have to decide for itself how it wanted to wage its war. Zelenskyj once again expressed criticism of the restrictions on the use of Western weapons and not using them to attack Russian territory. Russia could fire all weapons from its territory into Ukraine. “This is the biggest advantage Russia has.” Ukraine, on the other hand, cannot use Western weapons to harm Russian weapons that are on Russian territory.
The ISW experts pointed out that because of the restrictions imposed by the West, Russia was using its air force to fire glide bombs and rockets largely unhindered into Ukraine from its areas near the border. Russia could organize its troops and technology in the regions before launching an attack. The US approach so far severely limits Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian attacks in the north of the Kharkiv region, it said.
Putin threatens escalation
Ukraine wants to attack bases in Russia itself with Western weapons in order to destroy them even more effectively than with its own less powerful drones and missiles. Russia, on the other hand, warns of an escalation of the war if weapons from NATO countries are also used to attack the nuclear power.
The ISW saw itself confirmed by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s recent statements that Russia was seeking a buffer zone in the Kharkiv region in order to prevent Ukrainian attacks on its territory. Putin also said on Friday that there were currently no plans to take Kharkiv itself. Experts also assume that Russia does not yet have enough troops for a strategic breakthrough in Ukraine.
According to ISW’s assessment, the Russian troops primarily want to keep the Ukrainian armed forces in check in the Kharkiv area in order to simultaneously launch more massive attacks in other eastern areas of Ukraine. Russia wants to bring the annexed, but so far only partially occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk completely under its control.
You can read more about the developments in the Ukraine war in our live ticker.