internal party members are urging Biden to relax constraints on military action in Ukraine
Senator Ben Cardin, head of the Democratic Foreign Relations Committee, pushed for loosened restrictions on Ukraine's use of American-supplied weapons on Wednesday. Cardin was appalled by Putin's ongoing assault on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure, which he described as "shocking."
In light of these escalating attacks, Cardin argued that "it's high time to relax the constraints on Ukrainian soldiers utilizing U.S. weaponry. By offering more leeway to target Russian military targets, we can weaken Moscow's power to inflict harm on Ukrainian civilians. The United States must react promptly to grant these authorizations," Cardin penned.
Cardin's statement, released while Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Kyiv, joins a growing chorus advocating for Biden to allow Kyiv to strike deep within Russia. Both President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian government have repeatedly called for this permission.
Although the US has modified its stance to permit limited cross-border strikes against Russian targets utilizing U.S. weapons, the administration hasn't yet approved long-range operations. Officials have expressed reservations about the risk of escalation and argue that any single capability may not be decisive in the conflict. A U.S. official informed CNN on Tuesday that Russian assets have been moved beyond the reach of long-range strikes.
On Tuesday, the bipartisan congressional Ukraine caucus called for Biden to grant Ukraine permission to attack targets within Russia using long-range weapons.
"Unless these limitations are removed, Ukraine will continue to grapple to secure victory in its mission to safeguard its sovereignty and its people. The civilian population of Ukraine will continue to endure unneeded death, loss, and hardship as Russia exploits this policy and intensifies its bombardments across Ukraine," the bipartisan lawmakers wrote.
A group of influential House Republicans also urged Biden to ease these restrictions in a letter on Monday. In a separate letter, 17 former national security officials, including previous U.S. ambassadors to Ukraine and high-ranking military commanders, implored Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy to "act expeditiously."
"An alteration in policy is required urgently," they wrote.
Biden was asked on Tuesday if the U.S. would loosen the restrictions. "We're working on that right now," Biden replied.
However, two U.S. officials later told CNN that the Biden administration does not anticipate any policy changes regarding the lifting of restrictions.
Nonetheless, the dialogue over this issue continues. U.S. officials expect Blinken, who is traveling to Ukraine with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, to gather insights during his trip to Kyiv as to how these longer-range strikes may fit into Ukraine's broader battlefield strategy.
The ongoing discussions in politics revolve around relaxing restrictions on Ukraine's use of American-supplied weapons, with Senator Ben Cardin leading the charge. He believes that this move could weaken Russia's ability to inflict harm on Ukrainian civilians.
The bipartisan congressional Ukraine caucus has also joined the call, urging President Biden to grant Ukraine permission to attack targets within Russia using long-range weapons.
