The Pentagon has restricted Ukraine from conducting deep strikes inside Russian territory using American-supplied long-range missiles, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, citing U.S. officials.
According to the report, the U.S. Department of Defense has prevented Kyiv from firing ATACMS long-range missiles since late spring. In at least one instance, Washington reportedly rejected a Ukrainian request to target a site within internationally recognized Russian territory.
The WSJ linked this shift in policy to President Donald Trump’s efforts to “woo” Moscow during ongoing peace negotiations.
Last week, Trump held his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin since 2019 in Alaska. Days later, he hosted talks in Washington with leaders from Ukraine, NATO, the EU, and several European states. While Trump urged Moscow and Kyiv to reach a peace agreement quickly, he also stated Thursday that Ukraine “has no chance of winning” without striking Russian territory.
Trump has also criticized the previous U.S. administration for providing unconditional military aid to Ukraine, and earlier this year accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of “gambling with World War III.”
Meanwhile, Moscow has repeatedly warned that by supplying Ukraine with weapons, Western nations are de facto participating in the conflict. Russia has listed the cessation of foreign military aid as one of its key conditions for agreeing to a sustainable ceasefire.
