Zelenskyy Presents Plan for Lifting Long-Range Strike Restrictions in Talks with US and UK Diplomats

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that at a meeting with the heads of diplomacy from the US and the UK on Wednesday, he presented them with a very "direct and detailed" vision of what kind of lifting of restrictions on long-range strikes against Russia is necessary for Ukraine.

The President shared this information at a press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda on Thursday.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was "very prepared, very convincing, and very detailed" at the meeting regarding long-range weaponry. According to him, the partners "perceived all the details, signals from me personally."

Zelenskyy cautioned against delaying the process of expanding the range of Western weapons used against Russia, as well as against making a "political decision" regarding lifting restrictions.

"Delaying this process (regarding our use of appropriate weaponry) leads to Russia relocating these military targets deeper into Russian territory," Zelenskyy said.

He added that if restrictions are lifted by partners, he would like it to be a strategy for Ukraine's victory, not a political strategy.

"Lifting restrictions means lifting restrictions. And if the lifting of restrictions is proposed to a range at which the enemy has already deployed its military targets, as I said, then it is solely a political decision to relieve pressure from partner countries, Ukraine, and journalists on the countries that need to make this decision," the President noted.

He emphasized that Ukraine needs to use Western weaponry to hit military targets.

"If restrictions are lifted on some weapons for which there are no missiles, that is not lifting restrictions. It is another way of not giving a positive decision regarding the use of the relevant weapons," Zelenskyy concluded, adding that he was "very direct yesterday" in his discussion with partners.

According to The Guardian, Britain has already decided to allow Ukraine to hit targets in Russia with long-range Storm Shadow missiles. However, this is unlikely to be publicly announced during the meeting of the US and Britain leaders on September 13.