Ukraine would not use Western fighter jets to strike targets in Russia, foreign minister insists
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Loading... - Nathan Brooks
- 23 Feb 2023
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Dmytro Kuleba tries to reassure those worried that giving his country fast jets will result in a wider conflict beyond Ukrainian borders.
Ukraine's foreign minister has insisted that Western fighter jets would not be used by his country to strike targets within Russia.
Speaking to Sky News at the United Nations in New York, Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine needs the jets to end the war and push Russia back beyond its eastern borders.
"We're using weapons which we receive from partners to strike Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine," Mr Kuleba said.
Asked if he could guarantee that Ukraine would not use Western jets and other long-range weapons to bomb inside Russia itself, the foreign minister said: "We can guarantee that we will be using Western weapons to liberate Ukrainian territories."
Western nations remain unwilling to provide Ukraine with fast jets, despite the clear advantage they would bring, because of a lingering fear that it will precipitate a widening of the conflict beyond Ukraine's borders.
This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the Western deployment of longer-range weapons would give him the justification to strike back further to the West, possibly beyond Ukraine into eastern Europe.
US President Joe Biden has arrived back in Washington DC after a trip to Kyiv and Warsaw that White House officials believe to be a significant success.
The international diplomatic focus has shifted to New York, where diplomats from the 193 member countries of the United Nations are gathering at the body's Manhattan headquarters for a vote in the General Assembly. Read More…
