USA allows Ukraine to strike with Western weapons along entire border line with Russia — White House
The United States has given Ukraine permission to use Western weapons to hit any Russian targets along the entire border, not just near Kharkiv Oblast, said Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser to the US president, in an interview with PBS.
According to him, this agreement "extends to anywhere that Russian forces are coming across the border from the Russian side to the Ukrainian side to try to take additional Ukrainian territory."
"This is not about geography. It's about common sense. If Russia is attacking or about to attack from its territory into Ukraine, it only makes sense to allow Ukraine to hit back against the forces that are hitting it from across the border," said Sullivan.
At the same time, in a conversation with Politico, one of the American officials said that the stance of the United States regarding long-range strikes by Western weapons against objects inside Russia "has not changed."
Background
At the end of May, Politico wrote that US President Joe Biden secretly authorized Ukraine to strike Russia with weapons transferred by Washington.
Subsequently, the press service of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the granting of this permission. But certain restrictions still remain — it was reported that strikes with American weapons can be carried out only in the areas bordering Kharkiv Oblast.
Subsequently, the US National Security Council explained that the permission to use American weapons on the territory of Russia is not limited only to the defense of Kharkiv Oblast. According to National Security Council representative Michael Carpenter, the authorization concerns the border area from where Russia is preparing its attacks on Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that the United States will continue to "adapt and adjust" as needed.
In addition to the United States, Ukraine has already received permission to use the transferred weapons at its own discretion from a number of partners, although not from all of them.
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