Kuleba to lobby for lifting restrictions on long-range strikes on targets in Russia at EU ministerial meeting
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wants to get support for lifting restrictions on long-range strikes on military targets in Russia at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers.
He said this in an interview with Politico, Ukrinform reports.
“I want them to go back to their capitals … to get support to finally lift restrictions on long-range strikes on all legitimate military targets in Russia,” Kuleba said.
The foreign minister emphasized that convincing the allies to allow the use of weapons from the West against targets deep in Russia is Kyiv's top priority.
“Of course, this decision lies mainly with the United States and the U.K., but France is also a party and part of the EU,” he added.
Kuleba noted that he would use the meeting in Brussels to lobby Europe and convince Washington to change its position: “The European Union is a fundamentally important pillar in the coalition in support of Ukraine and can and should play a role in persuading the United States to make this decision happen.”
The head of Ukrainian diplomacy acknowledged that French President Emmanuel Macron had previously stated that Ukraine should be allowed to strike military bases deep in Russia and did not question his intentions, but “but the fact is that Ukraine still cannot shoot.”
Kuleba said he would also ask ministers to allow the use of air defense capabilities in EU countries, in particular Poland, to protect part of Ukraine's airspace.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is on a working visit to Belgium on Thursday, where he will take part in an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Photo: MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS