Kyiv ‘cautiously optimistic’ after discussing deep strikes in Russia with US

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BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday he was “cautiously optimistic” after discussing with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken the possibility of conducting deep strikes on Russia as well as Euro-Atlantic integration.

Kyiv has long been lobbying for Western allies to allow long-range attacks on military targets inside Russia, while also pressing for an invitation to join the NATO alliance.

Allies including the United States have been unwilling to permit long-range attacks for fear of further escalating the conflict, and some are opposed to inviting Ukraine to join NATO.

“We discussed issues of long-range strikes and Euro-Atlantic integration. And here we also are cautiously optimistic,” Sybiha said in televised comments.

His talks with Blinken in Brussels come at a turbulent time, just one week after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election. Trump has long criticised the scale of U.S. financial and military aid to Ukraine and has vowed to end the war quickly, without explaining how.

Ukraine and its European allies fear this would mean accepting peace on Russia’s terms, which would entail large territorial losses and rule out Ukraine ever joining NATO.

The outgoing Biden administration has pledged to promptly deliver what remains of the promised aid packages before Trump’s return to the White House in January.

Sybiha said his talks in Brussels had also touched on military aid.

“We have a clear picture – a clear timeframe, clear volumes – of what will be delivered to Ukraine by the end of the year. This helps us strategically to plan our actions on the battlefield,” he said.

The assistance, he added, would include weapons and funds for arms production deals.

(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Gareth Jones)