Washington, 6 September 2024 (dpa/MIA) - US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin has side-stepped Ukraine's demands to be allowed to use American longer-range weapons against targets in Russia.

"I don't believe that one specific capability is going to be decisive," said Austin at the conclusion of the Ukraine Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

The current battlefield showed that Russia had moved certain aircraft using glide bombs out of range of US ATACMS missiles, he said.

When asked by a journalist whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had said that there were strategic targets in Russia that could be hit with longer-range weapons, Austin responded evasively.

There are many targets in Russia and Ukraine has numerous ways of attacking them - for example with drones, he said. "I think that in the foreseeable future we will ensure that we continue to focus on helping Ukraine to effectively defend its territory," Austin continued.

Zelensky had previously called for longer-range weapons - and a free hand to use them for strikes against targets in the Russian hinterland.

Austin also announced that further military aid totaling around $250 million (around €225 million) would be made available to Ukraine to defend against the Russian war of aggression.

In recent months, the US has provided several installments of military aid, piece by piece, after the US Congress released new funds totaling around $61 billion for Kiev at the end of April.

The US is Kiev's most important ally and largest arms supplier in its defence against Russia.