Ukraine 'stopped from hitting Russian soil by US for months' as Trump courted Putin for peace talks
The US has been blocking Ukraine from firing long-range missiles into Russia for months, sources claim.
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Pentagon officials introduced a new mechanism in late spring which has been preventing Kyiv from hitting Russian territory.
The system relies on the green light of Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth for Ukrainians to use US-made long-range missiles or British-produced Storm Shadows, which use American targeting data.
Read More: Trump renews threat of 'massive' sanctions on Russia if Ukraine peace deal talks stall
This new system effectively reversed the Biden administration's decision to allow the use of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMs) in November 2024.
Two US officials have told the Wall Street Journal that a Ukrainian request to use the ATACMs has already been rejected by Hegseth.
Reports claim that the reviews process came as the White House was attempting to coax the Kremlin into peace talks, culminating in the recent lacklustre meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Despite the reports, President Trump recently took to social media to suggest that Ukraine should instead attack Russian territory to give it a chance of winning the war.
In a lengthy post to TruthSocial on Thursday evening, the US President said: "It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country.
"It's like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense. There is no chance of winning! It is like that with Ukraine and Russia.
"Crooked and grossly incompetent Joe Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND. How did that work out?
"Regardless, this is a war that would have NEVER happened if I were President - ZERO CHANCE. Interesting times ahead!!!"