Blinken leaves door open on Ukraine using Western missiles in Russia during Warsaw visit

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Poland on Thursday (12 September), did not confirm that the United States will permit Ukraine to fire Western-supplied missiles into Russian territory, but left the possibility open.

This issue and further aid for Ukraine were the main topics of Blinken’s talks with his Polish counterpart Radosław Sikorski (PO, EPP) and President Andrzej Duda.

Blinken said he would bring the discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the missiles “back to Washington to brief the president.”

“As what Russia’s doing has changed, the battlefield has changed, we have adapted,” Blinken told a news conference in Warsaw, speaking alongside Sikorski.

Blinken came to Warsaw after spending a day in Kyiv with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, during which they pledged to bring the Ukrainian requests to their leaders.

The State Secretary commented on his visit to Kyiv, saying one of its purposes was to hear from Ukrainian partners about their needs to deal with the current battlefield.

“I can tell you that as we go forward we will do exactly what we have already done, which is we will adjust as necessary […] in order to defend against Russian aggression,” he said, without providing details.

Blinken and Lammy announced in Kyiv, that the US and UK had pledged nearly $1.5 billion in additional aid to Ukraine. Blinken announced more than $700 million in humanitarian aid, and Lammy said London will provide another $782 million in assistance and loan guarantees.

Satisfied as Ukraine was with the non-military assistance, Kyiv officials made clear their top request concerns easing restrictions on where Western weapons can be used.

Poland opts for scrapping restrictions for Ukraine

Sikorski spoke in favour of allowing Ukraine to strike targets in Russia with long-range Western weapons.

“As the West, we should continue to provide Ukraine with advanced air and missile defense systems, and [...] lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons,” he said.

Earlier this month, Sikorski opted for Poland to participate in defending the Ukrainian sky, by shooting down Russian missiles that fly towards Poland before they reach the Polish airspace.

“Membership in NATO does not trump each country’s responsibility for the protection of its own airspace — it is our own constitutional duty,” he told the Financial Times.

He said this would be legitimate self-defence because once they enter national airspace, the risk of debris injuring someone is significant.

Outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, however, blocked any potential agreement for such activity and ruled out direct alliance involvement in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

“NATO’s policy remains unchanged – we will not participate in this conflict,” the Norwegian told Ukrainian broadcaster Edyni Novyny, adding that the alliance “will not be directly involved” in destroying Russian aircraft.

[Edited by Rajnish Singh]