President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said Tuesday that he planned to urge the leaders of the United States, Britain and France this week to allow Ukrainian forces to use weapons supplied by those nations for strikes deep into Russian territory.
Mr. Zelensky said he had yet to get permission from any of those countries, despite other NATO leaders arguing that Ukraine should be given leeway for broad use of missiles and other arms supplied by its partners. Mr. Zelensky said he would make his case in meetings with President Biden this week and in a meeting that he plans to have with Keir Starmer, the prime minister of Britain, and Emmanuel Macron, the president of France.
“Our decision depends on their will,” he said in an interview with The New York Times on Tuesday morning at the United Nations with Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark. “For today, they have to give, or say that they will not give.”
Recent diplomatic debates among the three allied nations have focused on the question of allowing Ukraine to use imported weapons for long-range fire into Russia. Mr. Starmer and Mr. Macron are leaning toward giving permission, but want to coordinate a decision with Mr. Biden, who could soon decide to support Britain and France in loosening their restrictions before the United States does anything similar, U.S. officials say.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Mr. Biden has feared an escalation into a Russia-versus-NATO war, and has only gradually given Ukraine certain weapons systems and slowly loosened some restrictions on their use.
Ms. Frederiksen said in the joint interview that the United States and Europe must prepare to support Ukraine in a war that could last for years longer, and that means loosening arms restrictions.
“I don’t think Ukraine can win with one arm on their back,” she told The Times. “So I think we need to end that discussion, to give what is needed, and actually to put it the other way around — ask Ukraine what is needed to win this war. And then we have to ensure that they will have what they need.”
Denmark, Sweden and Finland have said Ukraine can do as it wishes with military aid from those countries. Mr. Zelensky and Ukrainian commanders say they want to use Storm Shadow missiles from Britain, as well as a similar missile supplied by France, to strike deep into Russia. In May, Mr. Biden agreed to let Ukraine use American weapons for short cross-border strikes against Russia, but still banned long-range attacks.
Mr. Zelensky said on Tuesday that allies had given a lot in recent years, but never the full amount he has requested.
Both Mr. Zelensky and Ms. Frederiksen also said the United States and European nations needed to increase their capacity to produce weapons, and that allied investment in the production of arms inside Ukraine would help alleviate the shortage.
“We need to shift our mind-set,” Ms. Frederiksen said. “We still have a peacetime mind-set in the rest of Europe.”
Asked about the “victory plan” that Mr. Zelensky has said he will present to Mr. Biden and other American politicians this week, the Ukrainian president said a primary component was bolstering Ukraine’s military — “real strengthening, not slow packages.”
Both Mr. Zelensky and Ms. Frederiksen also said NATO member nations must expedite Ukraine’s entry into the security organization.
Mr. Zelensky has hinted in recent months that he could be open to eventual negotiations with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, but only if Mr. Putin is sincere and only if Ukraine can talk from a position of strength. U.S. officials say they still see no indication that Mr. Putin is ready for peace talks.
Although Ukraine and Russia have been locked for years in fierce fighting along a long front line in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian forces surprised the Russian military as well as the United States and other partners when they began an offensive in Russian territory in August. Ukrainian units have seized and held land in the Kursk region of Russia, and are attempting to repel a Russian counteroffensive there. Russian forces have made slow but steady gains in the Donbas region of Ukraine.
Mr. Zelensky arrived in the United States on Sunday and visited a factory in Scranton, Pa., that makes 155-millimeter howitzer artillery shells. He thanked the workers for their efforts in supporting Ukraine. Pennsylvania is a critical swing state in the U.S. presidential election in November. The Ukrainian president said he also plans to have meetings in Washington after his United Nations visit.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, has vowed to continue the Biden administration’s policy of giving arms and humanitarian support to Ukraine. Her Republican opponent, Donald J. Trump, has urged Republican lawmakers to oppose further aid and has said he would bring an end to the war, without giving details.
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