Biden gives Ukraine permission to attack Russia with US weapons

politics

From Victoria

According to a US official, President Biden has given Ukraine the green light to attack some targets on Russian territory with US weapons.

“The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine has the ability to use U.S.-supplied weapons for counterfire in the Kharkiv region so that Ukraine can repel Russian forces that attack it or are preparing to attack it,” the U.S. official said Thursday.

The official noted, however, that Ukraine is not allowed to use US long-range weapons to attack military targets deep inside Russian territory.

The Army’s tactical missile system supplied by the US, for example, can carry out attacks at a range of 320 kilometers.

“Our policy regarding prohibiting the use of ATACMS or long-range strikes inside Russia has not changed,” the US official said.

The announcement marks a departure from longstanding U.S. policy that prevented Ukraine from using American firepower to attack Russian troops and military facilities on Russian soil.

The restriction was introduced because the Biden administration feared that American weapons killing Russians in Russia could escalate the war.

The policy change came at a time when Russian troops were advancing on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

The city in northeastern Ukraine lies just 30 miles south of the Russian border with the war-torn country and has recently been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in the 27-month conflict.

In recent weeks, the Kremlin has touted its military advances in the region, claiming it has captured villages around Kharkiv as part of a broader push into the region to get within artillery range of the city.

On May 10, Russian troops began their offensive on the region.

Since then, the United States has announced about $675 million worth of military aid to Ukraine. The aid will come in the form of highly mobile artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) and ammunition, howitzer artillery shells, high-velocity anti-radiation missiles (HARMs) and other “urgently needed” offensive and defensive equipment and ammunition.

The Biden administration has sent Ukraine five aid packages containing weapons from the Defense Department’s existing stockpile after Congress approved $60 billion in additional funding last month.

According to Politico, members of Congress were briefed by US military officials in early May on the “value” of easing restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US weapons.

The formal decision to change policy was only made in the “last few days,” a US official told the news agency. This was a request from Ukraine after the start of the Russian offensive on Kharkiv.