American investor and lobbyist Bill Browder said that he and 59 other former high-ranking officials and experts have sent an official appeal to US President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to retaliate against Russian targets.
‘The US administration should not prevent Ukraine from striking military targets in Russia. It makes no sense. Together with 59 other defenders of Ukraine, I call on the White House to change its policy,’ he tweeted.
‘Against the backdrop of Russian attacks on Ukrainian citizens and civilian infrastructure, especially around Kharkiv, it is critical that the United States government does not interfere with Ukraine's ability to defend its people and its territorial integrity, as recognised by international law,’ he said.
‘We must finally understand that when Ukraine defends itself, it is not an escalation. The past two years have shown that if we allow the United States to become a hostage to Kremlin threats, Russia will quickly gain the upper hand on the battlefield, and Ukrainian citizens will pay the price,’ the document says.
Among the signatories are former US Army Commander in Europe General Ben Hodges, former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, former adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Michael McKinley, former State Department Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker, actor, screenwriter and producer Liev Schreiber and others.
Background. Today, it became known that the United States allows Ukraine to use the air defence systems transferred to it, including the Patriot missile system, to destroy missiles and fighter jets over Russian territory if they pose a threat to Ukraine.