Trump ‘Seriously Considering’ Lifting All Biden-Era Restrictions On Ukraine’s War-Fighting, Sources Say
WASHINGTON DC –The United States has not yet lifted all Joe Biden-era restrictions on Ukraine’s war-fighting, but President Donald Trump is “seriously considering” to do so, two senior Western officials told Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent on Monday, May 25.
“All the previously-imposed restrictions – whether already eased or not – are currently under the review as President [Trump] believes that the current status-quo does not serve our common interests of bringing Russia to the [negotiation] table,” one official said without offering further details.
Earlier on Monday, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz said there were no longer any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine by its Western allies, meaning that Kyiv could defend itself by attacking military positions inside Russia. The Kremlin called it “a dangerous move.”
Merz’s comments came after a third night of massive Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine.
Trump on Sunday criticized Putin noting on social media that the Kremlin leader “has gone absolutely crazy…needlessly killing a lot of people.” The Kremlin in response claimed Trump was showing signs of “emotional overload”.
French president Emmanuel Macron said however that he hopes Trump’s anger at Putin “will translate into action.”
One Western official told Kyiv Post Monday night that Trump’s final decision on punishing Russia, as well as the next phase of Ukraine support, will be discussed during meetings with German officials in Washington DC this week.
According to the source, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is planning to visit the US capital in the coming days.
On Monday, Wadephul told German news program Tagesschau that Putin “doesn’t want peace, he wants to continue the war, and we cannot allow him to do that.”
A further set of sanctions, Wadephul said, were already being prepared by European partners. “There will be reaction from the West, and I think also from the United States of America,” Wadephul concluded.
It remains unclear whether Wadephul is planning to build up on Merz’s announcement of Ukraine’s long-range capability during his meetings with Trump officials this week, but military analysts such as Jorge Rivero, a Washington-based Russia-Ukraine expert, are already discussing potential benefits of the move.
Speaking to Kyiv Post, Rivero said that the possible relaxation of Western-imposed restrictions on Ukraine’s employment of long-range weaponry represents a shift in the operational and strategic landscape of the war.
“The relaxation of restrictions could allow Kyiv to target military installations within Russian territory, including airbases responsible for launching Geran-2 drones and strategic bombers that have conducted sustained strikes against Ukrainian cities,” he said.
“This policy shift could further authorize Ukrainian forces to engage Russian command and control nodes, as well as logistical arteries deep inside Russia, with precision-guided munitions,” he added.Previously, Western limitations on the use of advanced weaponry had effectively shielded critical Russian military infrastructure and supply chains from Ukrainian interdiction.“Removing these constraints could alter that tactic, enabling Ukraine to disrupt the logistical and operational frameworks sustaining Russia’s war effort. This development will likely complicate Russian operational planning and threaten the continuity of supply lines that have sustained Moscow’s campaign since 2022,” Rivero said.
Source: Alex Raufoglu