By Athena Papakosta

The president of UkraineVolodymyr Zelenskyis again calling on its Western allies to allow Ukraine to use their weapons aimed deeper into Russian territory.

The West is allowing Ukraine to use some of the weapons it has supplied it with to strike targets inside Russia, but – so far – has not given the green light to do so. use of long-range weapons.

Yesterday, Monday, Russia launched one of the largest attacks against Ukraine with missiles and drones. At least six people died and dozens were injured. The main target of the Russian attack was Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that restrictions imposed by his Western allies and partners be lifted and that Kiev strike deeper into Russia with the long-range weapons they have handed over. “The United States, the United Kingdom, France and other partners have the power to help us stop terror,” the Ukrainian president pointed out, adding that “decisions need to be made.”

For his part, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denis Smyhal, emphasized that in order for Kiev to “stop the barbaric bombing of Ukrainian cities, it is necessary to destroy the points from which the Russian missiles are launched. That’s why Ukraine needs long-range weapons.”

Ukraine has long been lobbying its Western allies for permission to use, in particular, British and French-made Storm Shadow long-range missiles. So far her efforts have been fruitless.

According to a report by the British newspaper The Guardian, senior Ukrainian officials hinted that the use of the Storm Shadow, in the context of an attack that would look more like a demonstration, would show the Kremlin that military sites near the Russian capital would be vulnerable to direct hits.

According to the Guardian, citing a senior government official, the reasoning is based on the fact that Moscow will be forced to yield to negotiations only if it believes that Ukraine has the ability “to threaten the Russian capital and St. Petersburg.” .

The long-range Storm Shadow missiles are manufactured by the European consortium MBDA but some of their components come from the United States, which means the White House will have to agree to their use in Russia as well. The United States, however, disagrees, fearing that possible use of British and French-made long-range missiles would lead to further escalation.