At a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Kiev, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again called for the release of Western long-range weapons. “It is important that the Ukrainian arguments are heard,” Zelensky said after talks with Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Ukraine has been demanding for months that its Western allies lift the current restrictions on long-range weapons. Kiev then wants to use the missiles to destroy military targets in the Russian hinterland.
Zelensky once again asked for support for the troops on the front lines and for Ukraine’s overall strategy to achieve a just peace. The talks also focused on a second peace summit and the steps needed to make the meeting effective. At a first summit in Switzerland in June, Russia’s participation was not desired. There is talk that Russia could be invited to the next summit.
The leadership in Moscow has always stressed that peace cannot be negotiated without Russia’s involvement. At the same time, Moscow has stressed that it will not allow Ukraine or the West to dictate the conditions for peace. Russia recently captured several towns, particularly in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. Observers therefore assume that Moscow has no real interest in negotiations.
Blinken and Lammy had previously announced further aid for Ukraine at a press conference in Kyiv. However, the question of using long-range Western weapons against targets in Russia remained open.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240911-930-230039/1
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