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A bipartisan group of congressmen, members of the US House of Representatives’ Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, has urged US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to allow Ukraine to use weapons provided by the US to hit military strategic targets within Russia.
The letter was published on the official website of House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on May 20.
“Ukrainian officials have watched for weeks as Russian troops have attacked Ukrainian communities from Russian territory with impunity. Ukrainians have been unable to defend themselves due to the Administration’s current policy. It is essential the Biden Administration allows Ukraine’s military leaders an ability to conduct a full spectrum of operations necessary to respond to Russia’s unprovoked attack on their sovereign land,” reads the letter.
It also mentions providing 7 Patriot systems to Ukraine and trainingmore Ukrainian F-16 pilots as part of strengthening Ukraine’s air defense capabilites.
“According to the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. is on track to graduate only 12 pilots from F-16 training by the end of 2024. Graduating 12 Ukrainian pilots is simply insufficient,” argue the congressmen.
The statement was released after a meeting with a delegation of Ukrainian parliamentarians.
Read also: 10 Ukrainian servicemen finish F-16 maintenance training, — Dutch Ministry of Defence
