US 'not working' to prevent Ukraine from developing long-range strike ability

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US is "not working" to prevent Ukraine from developing its own long-range capacity to strike targets outside of its borders, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Tuesday.

Asked by reporters whether the Biden administration is attempting to curtail Ukraine from developing its own long-range strike capability in the wake of strikes deep inside Russian territory which Kyiv has not formally claimed responsibility for, Austin said: "The short answer is no. Absolutely not."

The defense chief pointed to over $19 billion in security assistance that the US has already provided to Ukraine to defend against Russia's ongoing invasion of the country, as well as international efforts the US is leading to further bolster Ukraine's defense.

Austin said the US "will work to sustain" international support for Kyiv, but added "we are not working to prevent Ukraine from developing their own capabilities."

The comments come after a series of attacks inside Russia that targeted military facilities, including air bases hosting long-range bombers. The Kremlin has said that Ukraine used drones to carry out the attacks.

Washington has repeatedly emphasized that the billions of dollars in military aid it has sent to Ukraine is solely for the purpose of defending Ukrainian territory and should not be used to conduct strikes inside of Russia.

Earlier on Tuesday, the State Department reiterated its longstanding position, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying the US has "neither encouraged nor enabled the Ukrainians to strike inside of Russia."

"But the important thing is to understand what Ukrainians are living through every day with the ongoing Russian aggression against their country and our determination to make sure that they have in their hands, along with many other partners around the world, the equipment that they need to defend themselves, to defend their territory, to defend their freedom," Blinken said at a joint press conference with Austin and their Australian counterparts.