The UN Security Council discussed the war in Ukraine yesterday on the eve of its 1,000th anniversary.
Ahead of the meeting at which the West reaffirmed its support for Kiev, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha welcomed the US permission for his country to use US-supplied missiles to strike Russian territory, France Press reported.
"This could be a game changer," Sibiha expressed satisfaction to reporters in New York. He argued that "the farther Ukraine can hit, the shorter the war will be.
"Ukraine's position has always been clear, we have every right to strike military targets on Russian territory. This is our legal right and it will save our civilians", Sibiha stressed and predicted that the green light from Washington "could have a very positive impact on the battlefield".
Ukraine has been asking for a better resolution for months. It was granted to her, a White House official confirmed to AFP on Sunday, only now - a few weeks before Republican Donald Trump, who seems much less inclined to help Kiev, replaces Democrat Joe Biden in the White House.
The meeting was called by the rotating chairman of the Security Council this month - Britain, which has been among the main supporters of Ukraine since the beginning of the war.
"The Kremlin wants to plunge Ukraine into darkness, but we must fight for the light of its freedom," said British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. "After 1,000 days, we are still defending Ukraine," added Lamy, who presided over the meeting.
US Permanent Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield did not mention the decision to allow strikes in Russia, but confirmed Washington's support for Kiev. "The United States will continue to increase its security assistance to Ukraine," she said, adding that "over the next few days" additional assistance will be announced.
Her Russian colleague Vasiliy Nebenzya criticized the holding of this meeting, which he described as a "media event to demonize Russia".
More than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and nearly 27,000 wounded since Russia's full-scale invasion of the country, UN Deputy Secretary General Rosemary DiCarlo said, as quoted by Ukrinform.
However, she cautioned that the true numbers may be much higher.