On Thursday afternoon, several American media outlets cited informed sources as saying that Biden has allowed Ukraine to use American weapons to conduct limited strikes on targets within Russia.
The earliest report of this news came from Politico. Subsequent reports were made by media outlets including The New York Times and CNN.
Sources revealed that President Biden has authorized Ukraine to use American ammunition to carry out strikes within Russian borders, but at the same time limited the scope of the strikes—Ukraine can only target objectives in the Kharkiv region.
Kharkiv is Ukraine’s second-largest city, located in the northeast part of Ukraine near the Russian border.
This latest development comes after significant advances by Russia in the Kharkiv region.
Politico and CNN each quoted anonymous U.S. officials as saying, “The President recently directed his team to ensure Ukraine can use U.S.-provided weapons to fight back in Kharkiv, allowing Ukraine to retaliate or prepare to attack Russian forces.”
CNN reported that easing restrictions marks a departure from longstanding policy and comes amid increasing international pressure from close American allies.
The U.S. official explained that the use of weapons is limited to the surrounding areas of Kharkiv and Ukraine has not requested permission to extend beyond this scope. He also added that the Biden administration is not expected to expand the authorized area.
The official stated that as Russian forces advance, Ukraine has asked the Biden administration to change its policy in recent weeks. Now, artillery and rockets provided by the U.S. can cross the border from Kharkiv in western Russia to target Russian forces, ammunition depots, and logistical centers.
The policy of not allowing Ukraine to conduct long-range strikes within Russian borders remains unchanged.
The U.S. government firmly prohibits Ukraine from launching its acquired ATACMS long-range missiles at Russia. These missiles are considered the most powerful American weapons, capable of hitting targets 200 miles or 300 kilometers away.
Politico reported that Ukraine can now use American-provided weapons such as rockets and missile launchers to shoot down missiles launched by Russia towards Kharkiv, Russian bombers gathering near the city’s border with Russia, or Russian bombers dropping bombs on Ukrainian territory. However, officials stated that Ukraine cannot use these weapons to target civilian infrastructure, nor can they launch long-range missiles like the Army Tactical Missile System to strike military targets within Russian borders.