Zelenskyy plans to press case to use long-range missiles on targets in Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that erstwhile helium visits Washington adjacent week, helium volition property the lawsuit for Ukraine to usage long-range missiles connected targets wrong Russia.

Zelenskyy was speaking hours aft confirming that the United States and Britain had inactive not authorized Kyiv to usage specified weapons successful this way.

But successful his evening code Saturday helium said: "We are convincing our partners — and we volition proceed to speech astir this adjacent week — that Ukraine needs afloat long-range capabilities."

During his Washington visit, Zelenskyy plans to stock with U.S. President Joe Biden his "victory plan" to extremity the war. The Ukrainian person besides plans to talk with some large candidates for U.S. president: Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican nominee erstwhile president Donald Trump.

For weeks, Kyiv has been pressing the West to let it to usage Western-supplied long-range weapons to onslaught targets wrong Russia. Doing so, said Zelenskyy, could alteration the people of the war, 2½ years aft Moscow invaded its neighbor.

"Neither America nor the United Kingdom gave america support to usage these weapons connected the territory of Russia, connected immoderate targets, astatine immoderate distance," Zelenskyy told reporters precocious connected Friday. "I deliberation they are disquieted astir an escalation."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukraine utilizing long-range weapons supplied by the West to onslaught targets wrong Russian territory would signify NATO countries were astatine warfare with Russia.

But Zelenskyy hinted helium had not fixed up anticipation that Biden mightiness yet beryllium persuaded.

"We person had immoderate decisions successful the past of our narration with Biden — precise absorbing and hard dialogues," the Ukrainian person said. "He aboriginal changed his constituent of view."

A adjacent advisor to Biden said this period helium would usage his remaining clip successful bureau to "put Ukraine successful the champion imaginable presumption to prevail."

Fighting continues

Zelenskyy volition question to the United States aft a summertime of aggravated fighting.

Moscow's forces person been advancing successful eastbound Ukraine, portion Kyiv has held onto swaths of Russia's Kursk portion for weeks. The Russian service is present astir 10 kilometers from the eastbound Ukrainian hub of Pokrovsk, to wherever Kyiv has rushed radical evacuated from frontline areas.

The warfare has dragged connected for astir 31 months and efforts to extremity the warring person truthful acold proved unsuccessful.

Zelenskyy repeated that Ukraine was acceptable to invitation Russia to a 2nd planetary bid acme successful November "because each our allies, including our closest ones" said Russia should beryllium there.

The November summit, helium said, would beryllium "the instauration for talking successful immoderate format with Russia."

But connected Saturday Russia said it would not instrumentality portion successful specified a acme and repeated Putin's conditions that Moscow would lone travel to the array if Kyiv surrendered 4 of its regions.

'A precise antithetic situation'

Zelenskyy said helium was taking into relationship that "we volition person a precise antithetic concern successful November" aft the U.S. election.

He said helium plans to conscionable with Harris to "see what she thinks astir the triumph plan" and "definitely" conscionable with Trump.

While Harris has indicated she volition proceed Biden's policies of backing Ukraine, Trump — who Zelenskyy is expected to conscionable Wednesday oregon Thursday — refused successful a caller predetermination statement to instrumentality sides implicit the war.

Trump has been highly captious of the billions of dollars successful assistance the U.S. has provided to Ukraine. Kyiv is acrophobic that if Trump wins a 2nd term, Washington could weaken its committedness to Ukraine.

On the battlefield, Zelenskyy said Kyiv had struck 2 weapons depots successful confederate and occidental Russia, including a cardinal tract for Moscow's forces.

Russian authorities announced immoderate evacuations and declared a section emergency.

Kyiv besides said Russian attacks connected Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rig had killed a 12-year-old lad and 2 women successful their 70s. A 12-year-old miss and a pistillate successful her 20s besides died successful a onslaught connected the metropolis of Nikopol.