Kyiv has been clamoring for Western long-range weapons and permission to use them for strikes deep inside Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that this would mean open conflict with the West and proposed changing Moscow’s nuclear doctrine accordingly.
Speaking to reporters after the NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Friday, Austin denied that the US may have told Ukraine to stop striking deep into Russia with drones.
“We’ve seen Ukrainians use their long-range UAV strike capability to great effect,” Austin told reporters. “They’re able to produce these UAVs in Ukraine. They’re able to scale that production rapidly. The UAVs have proven to be very effective and accurate.”
“When you consider the fact that one precision-guided missile costs, in some cases, close to $1 million – depending on what it is – and these UAVs they can produce in great numbers at a fraction of the cost,” Austin continued. “So you look at the balance sheet, and the effects that are being created on the battlefield, I think this is a great capability.”
“How they use the capability that they’re producing is going to be their call,” the Pentagon head noted.
Earlier this year, Ukraine launched a series of drone attacks on Russian infrastructure, including oil depots and refineries. The US government reportedly pressured Kyiv to end the strikes, out of concern that they could substantially disrupt oil prices during the election year.
Moscow’s response to Kyiv’s drone offensive was a series of missile strikes that crippled Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Ukrainian long-range attacks have become much less frequent since.
SD/
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