KYIV  –  President Joe Biden has said his administration is “working out” whether to authorize Ukraine to use United States-made, long-range weapons inside Russia, provoking anger in Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for restrictions on Western-supplied, long-range weapons to be lifted so his forces can strike airfields, ammunition depots, and command centers deep inside Russia, also increasing the costs of the invasion for Moscow. Biden, when asked by reporters whether he would allow Ukraine to use such missiles to target sites inside Russia, said: “We’re working that out right now.” His comments followed a US assessment that Iran has been supplying missiles to Russia.

On Wednesday, the Kremlin said it would respond “appropriately” if the US lifts its restrictions. Vyacheslav Volodin, the head of State Duma, the lower house of the country’s parliament, said such a move would make the US and its allies a party to the war and prompt Russia to deploy more powerful weapons.

Allowing Ukraine to use US-made missiles capable of striking deep within Russia would be a major policy shift for Washington. Despite sending more than USD 56 billion in military support to Kyiv, the US has so far been wary of escalating tensions with long-range missiles.

Ukraine’s other allies have supplied weapons with restrictions on how and when they can be used inside Russia, fearing that Ukrainian strikes could prompt Russian retaliation that draws NATO countries into the war.

“We need to have this long-range capability, not only on the divided territory of Ukraine but also on the Russian territory, so that Russia is motivated to seek peace,” Zelenskyy said last week in Germany. “We need to make Russian cities and even Russian soldiers think about what they need: peace or Putin,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Questions over Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons are expected to be on the agenda as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy visit Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Wednesday. (Al Jazeera)

Photo: U.S. President Joe Biden. (Reuters) …[+]