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., The official said Ukraine had not sought any further authorizations and added that they did 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.”
What’s unique about U.S. support for Ukraine is that it has “adapted to the changing circumstances, to the changing battlefield, to the changing ways in which Russia is escalating its aggression, and we’ve adapted and adjusted to that,” Blinken said Wednesday during a visit to Moldova, “and I’m sure we’ll continue to do that.”
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.
The original restriction banning Ukraine from attacking Russian territory with U.S. weapons was rooted in the Biden administration’s concerns about escalating the war. While those concerns remain, the U.S. changed its position after the Ukrainian government articulated the need to defend Kharkiv, European allies began to change course, and NATO leadership privately urged the U.S. to allow such attacks.
Blinken visited Ukraine earlier this month to hear firsthand about Ukraine’s requests to go after targets inside Russia’s borders. During that visit, Blinken reiterated that the United States would ensure Ukraine was “positioned to deter and defend against future aggression.”
“The US is feeling the weight of the debate,” one European diplomat said earlier this week, predicting a possible change in US policy.
Indeed, when Secretary of State Blinken returned to Washington two weeks ago, President Biden was already working to revise U.S. policy. According to U.S. officials, the Secretary of State signed recommendations submitted to Biden by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff C.Q. Brown just days after Russia launched its offensive on May 10.
During a secure video conference on May 13, the three heard the Ukrainian request and decided it would make sense to lift U.S. restrictions to allow Ukrainian forces to strike the base from which Russia launched its offensive against Kharkiv. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. European Command, was called into the meeting to finalize the details.
But it will take until Thursday for the U.S. decision to go through the system and take effect.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has also privately urged the United States and other countries to give Ukraine the capabilities it needs to track targets inside Russia, according to the sources.
Stoltenberg’s repeated efforts behind closed doors did not immediately lead to a change in U.S. policy, but he decided this week to speak publicly about the benefits, and perhaps the necessity, of allowing Ukraine to defend itself indefinitely.
“Denying Ukraine the ability to use these weapons against legitimate military targets on Russian territory would make it extremely difficult for Ukraine to defend itself,” Stoltenberg said last week.
This story has been updated with additional details.
