Ukraine gives the US a list of targets in Russia for ATACMS strikes

During a meeting with US officials, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umierov handed over a list of targets deep in the Russian Federation that the Ukrainian Armed Forces want to hit with US ATACMS missiles.

The minister himself said this in an interview with CNN.

In particular, these are airfields that Russian aviation uses to strike Ukrainian cities.

Umierov said that on Friday he had spoken with U.S. officials in Washington about lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory.

“We explained what means we need to protect our citizens from the Russian terror that the Russians are inflicting on us. And so I hope that we were heard. We have shown that the airfields they (Russians – ed.) use to strike our cities are within the range of long-range strikes,” he said.

The Defense Minister said Ukraine insisted on lifting restrictions on the use of ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles to protect Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.

“They (Russians – ed.) are killing our citizens. That’s why we want to deter them, we want to stop them, we don’t want their aircraft to come closer to our borders to bomb cities,” Umierov said.

US position

Earlier, the US media reported that Ukraine, against the backdrop of the Defense Forces’ operation in the Kursk region, had intensified its request to the Biden administration to allow ATACMS missiles to hit airfields in Russia.

However, the White House said that its official position on strikes by American weapons deep into Russian territory had not changed.

Also, a representative of President Biden’s administration told The Telegraph that Ukraine didn’t need to use Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which it received as part of military aid from the United Kingdom and France, to strike Russian territory.

Long-range strike drones used by Ukrainian forces are already helping to destroy military targets in Russia.

He added that Ukrainian-made drones had demonstrated the ability to hit some of Russia’s military airfields, which were located outside the range of Storm Shadow/SCALP EG missiles.