Ukraine Developing Its Own Missiles to Strike Russia, Zelensky Says

Ukraine is developing its own long-range missiles to strike Russian territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.

"Our missile program is showing good dynamics, and although it is a challenging task, we are gradually approaching the possibility of using our own missiles, and not just relying on missiles supplied by our partners," Zelensky said during his video address to the nation.

Zelensky has long appealed for permission to use Western weapons to strike targets in Russia, saying it is key to bolstering his country's defense in the ongoing war, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2022.

Ukraine's Western allies have been reluctant to allow Kyiv's military to use their weapons to launch attacks on Russian soil, fearing this could lead to being drawn into the conflict.

In May, President Joe Biden granted Ukraine permission to use some American-supplied weapons to strike targets in Russia, but with major caveats. Kyiv may only use the weapons in Russian territory bordering northeast Ukraine for the purpose of defending its Kharkiv region, and the use of long-range missiles such as ATACMS is prohibited on Russian soil, U.S. officials familiar with the matter told media outlets at the time, including Newsweek.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment by email.

Zelensky said during his video address that his military's task "is to ensure the constant effective defeat of Russian troops, their logistics, their significant positions not only on the front line but also in all available depths by all methods and with all our strength."

Ukraine should eventually reach "maximum defense independence," he said.

Zelensky told The Guardian in an interview in May that his forces needed to be able to use "powerful" long-range weapons to strike deep inside Russian territory, urging the U.S. to "believe in us more."

"I think it is absolutely illogical to have [Western] weapons and see the murderers, terrorists, who are killing us from the Russian side. I think sometimes they are just laughing at this situation," Zelensky said. "It's like going hunting for them. Hunting for people. They understand that we can see them, but we cannot reach them."

Biden told reporters on July 11 that it wouldn't "make sense" for Zelensky to strike the Kremlin, for example, if he "had the capacity to strike Moscow."

"The question is: What's the best use of the weaponry he has and the weaponry we're getting to him?" the U.S. president said.

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