Polish Deputy PM: Delayed US Support for Strikes Into Russia Balances, But Falls Short of a Breakthrough

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, commented on the US alleged decision to allow Ukraine the use of US-supplied weapons for deep strikes into Russian territory.

“It cannot be that ‘red lines’ are drawn only for Ukraine and do not concern Russia at all. The US decision would have had a much greater effect if it had been made earlier. Then we could talk about a chance for a breakthrough. Now we are dealing with equalizing the disproportions between Russia and Ukraine,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said, as reported by TVP. 

Meanwhile, Polish President Andrzej Duda believes that the US decision to allow Ukraine to conduct strikes deep into Russian territory marks a turning point in the war.

Duda made this statement during a press conference before departing for Jordan, as reported by RMF24.

“We have seen, especially in recent days, a significant intensification of Russian attacks on Ukraine, primarily those missile attacks where civilian facilities are attacked, where people are killed, ordinary residents of Ukraine, not soldiers. This is a very drastic situation. There is consent from US President Joe Biden to the use of medium-range missiles provided by the Americans and the possibility of attacking targets in Russia with them. This is a very important change,” he said.

This decision will likely force the Russians to pull back from the frontlines and Ukraine's borders, Duda stated: "This is a very significant, and possibly even a turning point in this war."

The Biden administration has authorized the first use of US-supplied weapons by Ukraine for deep strikes into Russian territory, various news agencies reported. However, the weapons are expected to be used initially against Russian and North Korean forces to bolster the defense of Ukrainian troops in Russia's western Kursk region.