Biden partially lifts ban on Ukraine using US arms in strikes on Russian territory – Associated Press

YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. US President Joe Bidenhas given Ukraine the go-ahead to use American weaponry to strike inside Russiafor the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, the Associated Press reports citing four US officials familiar with the matter.

The officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, underscored that the US policy calling on Ukraine not to use American-provided ATACMS or long-range missiles and other munitions to strike offensively inside Russia has not changed.

Biden’s directive allows for US-supplied weapons to be used for “counterfire purposes in the Kharkiv region so Ukraine can hit back against Russian forces that are attacking them or preparing to attack them,” one official told the Associated Press.

Ukrainian officials have stepped up calls on the US administration to allow their forces to defend themselves against attacks originating from Russian territory. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, is just 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Russian border.

Biden’s decision was first reported by Politico.

In recent weeks, Western countries have been actively discussing the issue of allowing Ukraine to use Western weapons to attack military targets in the territory of Russia.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the start of a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers on Thursday said it was time for NATO members to reconsider whether their weapons could be used to hit beyond Ukraine's borders and called on the countries to let Ukraine use Western weapons to strike inside Russia.