Zelensky at NATO summit blasts ‘crazy’ limits on strikes inside Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continued his push for President Biden to lift restrictions on Ukraine using American-provided weapons to strike up to 300 miles inside Russia, bolstered by the U.K.’s decision this week to lift similar limits on its long-distance Storm Shadow missiles.

While the Biden administration has given Ukraine the greenlight to strike beyond Russia’s border near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Zelensky is pushing for the U.S. to relent on its broader ban on striking military targets deep inside Russia, in place over concerns of provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

“If we want to win, if we want to prevail, if we want to save our country and to defend it, we need to lift all the [limitations],” Zelensky said at a press conference alongside outgoing NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg in Washington on Thursday, noting he had spoken with both President Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the request. 

In a post on the social media site X, Zelensky said he had met with Starmer and “learned about the permission to use Storm Shadow missiles against military targets in Russian territory” and discussed “the practical implementation of this decision.” 

Zelensky, during the press conference, called it “crazy” to have limitations on how it can use donated weapons to strike against Russia. 

“We understand from what military base they attack us, and if they attacked us and killed our children in the hospital, that is crazy question why we can’t answer and attack this person, this military base, where from these guided bombs from jets, or missile came, targeted us, killed our children,” Zelensky said.

A series of Russian missile attacks across Ukraine on Sunday struck sites including a children’s hospital in Kyiv. Two adults were reported killed, and more than 50 people were injured, including seven children. 

Stoltenberg reiterated his support for Ukraine’s right to use weapons provided by NATO-ally countries to strike within Russian territory. He added that NATO’s support for Ukraine is in line with international law and does not make it a party to the conflict. 

“Some allies have not imposed any restrictions at all, it varies a bit between allies, but allies have reduced the restrictions on the use of the weapons delivered to Ukraine, and this has allowed Ukraine to strike on the territory of Russia,” Stoltenberg said. 

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment on Zelensky’s demands.