CNN
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President Joe Biden has given Ukraine permission to use American weapons to attack Russian territory but has limited their use so that Kiev can only strike targets across the border near Kharkiv after Russia made significant advances around the northeastern Ukrainian city near the Russian border, two US officials told CNN.
“The president recently directed his team to ensure that U.S.-supplied weapons are available to Ukraine for retaliatory purposes in Kharkiv, allowing Ukraine to respond to any Russian attacks or preparations for an attack,” one of the officials said.
The easing of restrictions marks a departure from longstanding policy and comes amid growing international pressure from U.S. allies, but it is limited to the area around Kharkiv., Ukraine has not sought any further authorizations, the official said, adding that they do not expect the United States to expand the scope of the authorizations.
Politico was first to report the news.
Officials said Kiev has asked Washington for a change in policy in recent weeks as Russian troops advance, with Russian troops, munitions depots and logistics sites now vulnerable to U.S.-supplied artillery and rocket fire from across the border from Kharkiv in western Russia.
The administration has also steadfastly refused to allow Ukraine to use the most powerful weapon it has been given to fire at Russia, a long-range missile called ATACMS that can strike targets up to 200 miles (300 kilometers) away., Get away.
Ukraine has been permitted to use U.S. anti-aircraft weapons successfully to eliminate immediate threats from Russian aircraft flying in Ukrainian and Russian airspace, the first official stressed, but the ban means Ukraine cannot target Russian aircraft on the ground in Russian territory.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken publicly signaled a willingness to change the administration’s strategy this week, saying the US can “adapt and adjust.”
“Another feature of our support for Ukraine over the past two years has been that we have adapted to changing circumstances, changing battlefields, and as the way Russia has pursued escalating aggression has changed, we have adapted and adjusted,” Blinken said Wednesday during a visit to Moldova, “and I am confident that we will continue to do so going forward.”
The previous day, key European leaders signalled a shift in position.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at a news conference alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday, said French weapons, including long-range missiles, had been sent to Ukraine and were authorized to target bases inside Russia.
“Ukrainian territory is being attacked from Russian bases,” Macron said during a visit to Meseberg Castle in Brandenburg, Germany. “If we tell them not to attack the points from which the missiles are fired, how do we explain to the Ukrainian people that they must defend these towns and everything they see now around Kharkiv?”
“We believe that we should allow Ukraine to neutralise the military installations from which the missiles were fired, and essentially the military installations that were attacked,” Macron continued.
German Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz echoed Macron’s remarks, saying Ukraine would be allowed to defend itself as long as it respected the terms set by arms suppliers, including the United States, and international law.
This is breaking news and will be updated.
