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Pentagon reportedly blocks Ukraine's long-range missile strikes on Russia as Trump voices frustration over peace deal

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Aug 24, 2025 12:10 PM

The Pentagon has for months been blocking Ukraine's use of long-range missiles to strike inside Russia, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing US officials. It said the US limited Kiev from employing a powerful weapon in its fight against Moscow.

The report said that a high-level Defense Department approval procedure, which hasn't been announced, has prevented Ukraine from firing any US-made long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, against targets in Russia since late spring, the officials said. On at least one occasion, Ukraine sought to use ATACMS against a target on Russian territory but was rejected, the report quoted two officials as saying.

"The US veto of long-range strikes has restricted Ukraine's military operations as the White House has sought to woo the Kremlin into beginning peace talks," the Wall Street Journal claimed in the report.

In a social-media post Thursday, US President Donald Trump said Ukraine couldn't defeat Russia unless it could "play offense" in the war. "It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking" the invading country, he wrote. "There is no chance of winning!"

US officials said Trump's statement didn't signal a policy change that would dispense with the Pentagon's review mechanism or encourage Ukraine's use of ATACMS and other long-range Western systems. But a senior White House official said Trump could change his mind about facilitating expanded offensive operations against Russia, Wall Street Journal reported.

A Washington Post report on Saturday wrote that Trump is signaling that he would step back for now from efforts to reach a Ukraine peace deal, expressing frustration over rising casualties and the failure of the two sides to come closer to a peace agreement.

Trump would make an important decision about the future of the conflict in "two weeks," according to the Washington Post.

The Washington Post viewed the comment as "a significant shift from a president who had projected great confidence over the past several weeks in his ability to obtain security guarantees for Ukraine and a swift meeting between the warring leaders."