At military aid meeting in Germany, Ukraine asks for long-range arms to push Russia into peace talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared at a meeting of Ukraine’s international supporters in Germany on Friday (September 6), urging Western allies to provide more weapons, including long-range missiles capable of striking targets inside Russia.

The meeting, hosted by United States defence chief Lloyd Austin at Ramstein Air Base, southwest of Frankfurt, follows a devastating Russian missile attack in Poltava that killed 55 and wounded 300.

The Kremlin has said conditions for peace talks with Ukraine do not now exist. But Putin has named China, India, and Brazil as potential mediators.

“We need to have this long-range capability not only on the occupied territory of Ukraine, but also on the Russian territory, yes, so that Russia is motivated to seek peace,” Zelenskyy said.

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US to ship long-range weapons to Ukraine?

His appeal comes amid reports that the US is nearing an agreement to supply Ukraine with Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM), which could extend Kyiv’s reach deep into Russian territory.

An announcement is expected this autumn, though a final decision has not yet been made, Reuters quoted three sources as saying.

Poland could be at risk

Meanwhile, Russia’s Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, suggested that the invasion of Ukraine could extend to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) member Poland, depending on the type of Western weapons provided to Kyiv.

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According to Russian state-owned news agency TASS, Medvedev said “Obviously, we need to create a buffer zone for the future to ensure that nothing flies in. Its size is anyone’s guess, but it should be sufficient. If they [Ukrainians] wish to get long-range means of attack, such as cruise and ballistic missiles, then this buffer zone should stretch as far as Poland.”

Could Nato get involved?

Poland has been a member of Nato since 1999. According to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, an attack on one Nato member is considered an attack on all members.

This collective defense principle would likely lead to a military response from Nato to support Warsaw if Moscow were to violate Polish territory or engage in any military action that threatens it, Firstpost had previously reported.

With inputs from agencies