Biden Gives Ukraine Green Light to Use US Weapons Inside Russia

The Biden administration has quietly given Ukraine the green light to use American-made weapons for limited strikes inside Russia to help the country defend the Kharkiv region.

“The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use U.S.-supplied weapons for counter-fire purposes in the Kharkiv region so Ukraine can hit back against Russian forces that are attacking them or preparing to attack them,” a U.S. official said in a statement given by the administration, reports The New York Times. “Our policy with respect to prohibiting the use of ATACMS or long-range strikes inside of Russia has not changed.”

The dramatic policy shift came at Kyiv’s request amid Russia’s offensive on Ukraine’s second-largest city. The administration had previously been concerned that offensive use of U.S. weaponry would provoke Moscow into widening the war.

In the last few days, the U.S. made the decision to allow Ukraine “flexibility” to defend itself from attacks on the border near Kharkiv, the second U.S. official said.
In effect, Ukraine can now use American-provided weapons, such as rockets and rocket launchers, to shoot down launched Russian missiles heading toward Kharkiv, at troops massing just over the Russian border near the city, or Russian bombers launching bombs toward Ukrainian territory. But the official said Ukraine cannot use those weapons to hit civilian infrastructure or launch long-range missiles, such as the Army Tactical Missile System, to hit military targets deep inside Russia.
It’s a stunning shift the administration initially said would escalate the war by more directly involving the U.S. in the fight. But worsening conditions for Ukraine on the battlefield –– namely Russia’s advances and improved position in Kharkiv –– led the president to change his mind. (Politico)