KYIV 鈥� The top diplomats of the U.S. and UK said Wednesday they鈥檙e firmly committed to Ukraine鈥檚 victory and will adapt support to the country鈥檚 needs in a war that鈥檚 already lasted 30 months.
鈥淭he bottom line is this: We want Ukraine to win,鈥� said Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a joint visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
鈥淔rom day one, we have adjusted and adapted,鈥� Blinken told reporters after meeting with top Ukrainian officials, including Ukraine鈥檚 president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and newly appointed foreign minister Andrii Sybiha. 鈥淣eeds have changed as the battlefield has changed, and I have no doubt that we will continue to do this.鈥�
He was referencing Ukraine鈥檚 push to use long-range missiles supplied by the U.S. on military targets inside Russia. Missiles like ATACMs, which the U.S. sent to Ukraine last year, can travel 190 miles. Ukrainian troops want to strike weapon stockpiles, logistical centers and airfields to stop Russian forces from advancing on the battlefield and attacking Ukrainian cities nearly every day. One Russian strike last week on a military academy in central Ukraine killed at least 58 people and injured nearly 300.
The U.S. has resisted lifting restrictions, saying such strikes would aggravate Russia, which has a vast arsenal and nuclear weapons.
The tone shifted, however, during the visit by Blinken and Lammy, who noted that Russia is now aggravating matters by acquiring ballistic missiles from Iran to use on Ukraine.
鈥淚f anyone is taking escalatory action, it would appear to be (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and Russia,鈥� Blinken said.
Lammy added that he and Blinken had 鈥渄etailed conversations with President Zelenskyy鈥� on the use of long-range weapons supplied by the UK and U.S.
鈥淚 am not prepared to give Putin the advantage,鈥� Lammy said.
President Biden meets with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday. Zelenskyy says he plans to meet with Biden later this month. In the past, the Ukrainian president and his team have managed to successfully lobby the White House for more and better weapons after initial resistance by Washington.
Earlier on Wednesday, reporters asked Zelenskyy about prospects for another policy change.
鈥淎m I optimistic about their decision to allow us to use long-range weapons? I wish it didn鈥檛 depend on my optimism,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t depends on their optimism.鈥�
Zelenskyy said he plans to discuss the issue with President Biden later this month. His administration is working quickly to secure as much support as possible before the presidential election. At Tuesday night鈥檚 U.S. presidential debate, which Zelenskyy said he didn鈥檛 watch, Vice President Kamala Harris threw her support behind Ukraine but former president Donald Trump refused to answer when asked if he wanted Ukraine to win. 鈥淚 want the war to stop,鈥� he said, without elaborating on how he would make that happen.
Blinken and Lammy both announced new aid packages for Ukraine Wednesday. The U.S. will give Ukraine $700 million in humanitarian and energy assistance, while the UK will allocate nearly $800 million in financial support and military equipment supplies.
The aid, and today鈥檚 visit, come at a crucial time during the war. Ukraine continues to lose territory to Russia in the east even after Ukraine鈥檚 surprise invasion of the Russian region of Kursk last month. Zelenskyy wants to reclaim all Ukrainian land, including the peninsula of Crimea, which Russia occupied and illegally annexed in 2014.
鈥淐rimea is not just a territory, it is part of our soul,鈥� Zelenskyy said on Wednesday at the unveiling of a monument to the nearly 200,000 Crimean Tatars who died after the Soviets forced them out of their homes in 1944.
At Kyiv鈥檚 Institute for International Relations, students aiming to become Ukraine鈥檚 future diplomats debate how their country can manage in the shifting sands of modern geopolitics. Some worry about pro-Russian countries banding together, others about the outcome of the U.S. election. Vladyslav Payuk, 19, says he wants Ukraine鈥檚 allies to understand how Ukrainians feel when Russia bombs their cities.
鈥淲hy can鈥檛 we bomb (Russian) strategic facilities,鈥� he says, speaking about the restriction on long-range weapons. 鈥淲hy can鈥檛 we shoot them back? Every day in every city of Ukraine, families are killed.鈥�
Volodymyr Ohryzko, a geopolitical analyst and former Ukrainian foreign minister, says Ukraine鈥檚 western allies believe Russia can be reasoned with.
鈥淭his is a mistake,鈥� he told NPR. 鈥淭hey believe in fairy tales they invented themselves.鈥�
He also cast doubt that Russia would participate in a Ukraine-initiated peace summit because he says the Kremlin鈥檚 goals for this war are clear: 鈥淩ussia insists that we capitulate, and Ukraine does not accept capitulation.鈥�
And he added that the U.S. has not yet resolved how to manage Russia in the long-term, and that this won鈥檛 happen until after the U.S. presidential election.
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