US House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that Ukraine should be allowed to wage the war “in the way they see fit” when asked whether he supports the call to allow Ukraine to use US-provided weapons to strike targets inside Russian territory.
His comments come after some lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee released a statement on 21 May calling for the administration to permit Ukraine to use American weaponry on military targets in Russia. Currently, there are restrictions on Ukraine using US-supplied arms to hit Russian soil.
When asked by a congressional correspondent for the Voice of America if he supports the statement, Mike Johnson replied:
“I think we need to allow Ukraine to prosecute the war in the way they see fit. They need to be able to fight back, and I think us trying to micromanage the effort there it’s not a good policy for us,” the speaker said.
????????US House @SpeakerJohnson supports allowing Ukrainian strikes on Russian soil with US weapons
"We should allow Ukraine to prosecute the war as it sees fit. They need to be able to fight back; micromanaging the effort is not a good policy," he said in response to a question… pic.twitter.com/Z15D23tM0P
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) May 22, 2024
On 15 May, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the US does not encourage strikes on Russian territory, but Ukraine should decide for itself. However, two days later, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin confirmed that Washington’s position on prohibiting the use of American weapons for strikes on Russia had not changed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes there should be no such restrictions and they exist only because Western allies fear nuclear escalation and wish to maintain trade and diplomatic relations with Russia.
Read also:
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- US Defense Secretary Austin reaffirms restrictions on Ukraine’s use of American weapons in Russia
- Sky News confirms that Cameron said UK backs Ukrainian strikes inside Russia with UK-supplied weapons
- Reuters withdraws its story that stated UK’s Cameron said UK not against its weapons being used inside Russia
- Estonia: West should allow Ukraine to hit targets in Russia with Western weapons