As Russia’s offensive on the Russian border region of Kursk continues in full swing, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says Kiev must be able to use Western weapons on Russian territory.
Such a decision will “strengthen Ukraine’s self-defense” and thus “save lives and reduce destruction in Ukraine,” Borrell said on Wednesday in the online service X.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi again called on his Western allies to lift restrictions on the use of the delivered weapons. “Ukraine can stop the advance of the Russian army on the front only through a single decision that we expect from our partners: the decision on long-range capabilities,” the head of the war-torn country said.
Tanks from Britain are already being deployed
According to media reports, the Ukrainian army is already using British-supplied tanks in its advance toward the Russian border region of Kursk. The British Ministry of Defense said this was in accordance with international law. The US and the German federal government already allow Kiev to use their weapons on Russian territory, but only against targets in the Russian border region with the Kharkiv region.
EU foreign and defence ministers are also expected to discuss a possible lifting of the restrictions next week. However, the final decision on this will lie with member states. Borrell announced on Wednesday that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba would also take part in the meeting in Brussels.
Zelenskyi: Hoping for billions in aid promised by the West
According to Zelenskyi, Ukraine now hopes that the billions in aid promised by the West will soon be allocated, which will also be financed from proceeds from frozen Russian state assets. While there have been many political statements from Kiev’s partners, many more can be expected, the president said in his evening video address. “But we need a real mechanism.”
Ukraine needs the proceeds from Russian assets to defend itself against aggressor Russia. “The relevant discussions have been going on for far too long and we finally need decisions.”
The seven major Western industrialized countries (G7) decided at their summit in June to provide new financial support to Kiev. A generous loan of 50 billion dollars is to be covered by interest income from frozen Russian assets.
Russia advances into eastern Ukraine
In the face of the Russian advance in eastern Ukraine, scores of people have fled frontline towns. Residents of the village of Myrnohrad, 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the fighting, told AFP that the increasing Russian attacks had forced several people to flee. AFP reporters on the scene saw several houses in Myrnohrad burn down after Russian attacks.
Air Force Chief: “Successful offensive in Kursk”
But Russia is not calming down either. Ukrainian air force chief Mykola Oleshchuk has reported successful missions by his fighter pilots in the offensive in the western Russian region of Kursk. Above all, precision bombs were used against Russian positions and troop concentrations. Even though Russian units have now started to integrate abandoned houses into their defenses, they cannot escape the attacks.
“We see everything, we know everything,” Oleshchuk wrote on the Telegram platform. “Our precision bombs are everywhere.” Precision bombs are glider bombs that can be remotely controlled by pilots to reach their target. During the advance in the Kursk region, two important bridges over the Seym River were destroyed by fighter pilots.
Source: Krone
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