The administration of US President Joe Biden has secretly authorized Ukraine to strike with US-supplied weapons on Russian territory in the Kharkiv region.
This was reported by Politico, citing sources.
The publication notes that this is a major change that will help Ukraine better protect Kharkiv, the second-largest city in the country.
The American official said that “the president recently ordered his team to ensure that Ukraine can use American weapons to counter fire in Kharkiv so that Ukraine can respond to Russian forces that strike or prepare to strike them.”
At the same time, the U.S. policy on Ukraine’s strikes deep into Russian territory has not changed, the official added. He also said that Ukraine asked the US to change this policy only after Russia’s offensive on Kharkiv began this month.
Another official also said that over the past few days, the US has decided to allow Ukraine “flexibility” to defend itself against attacks on the border near Kharkiv.
According to Politico, Ukraine can now use U.S. — provided weapons such as rockets and grenade launchers to shoot down launched Russian missiles headed toward Kharkiv, troops amassing at the Russian border near the city, or Russian bombers launching bombs toward Ukrainian territory.
But Ukraine cannot use these weapons to hit civilian infrastructure or launch long-range missiles, such as the Army’s Tactical Missile System, to hit military targets deep inside Russia, the official said.
The US presidential administration initially said this was a stunning shift that would escalate the war by more directly involving the US. The US president’s change of heart was prompted by the deteriorating conditions for Ukraine on the battlefield — namely, Russia’s advances and improved positions in Kharkiv.
The administration has also hinted that the decision was either made in secret or was made in recent days. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken became the first US official to publicly hint that Biden might reverse course and authorize such strikes, telling reporters that US policy toward Ukraine would evolve as needed.
