Biden quietly allows Ukraine to strike Russia only near Kharkiv – Politico

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has quietly allowed Ukraine to carry out strikes inside Russia using U.S.-supplied weapons, but only in areas near Kharkiv, Ukraine, according to Politico, which cited an unnamed U.S. official and two others familiar with the White House's decision.

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This decision marks a significant shift that will allow Ukraine to better protect Kharkiv, its second largest city.

"The President recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use U.S. weapons for counter-fire purposes in Kharkiv so Ukraine can hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them," the U.S. official told Politico.

He added, however, that the U.S. policy on long-range strikes with its weapons "has not changed." The U.S. Department of Defense reiterated on May 17 that such a prohibition remains in place.

Yesterday, the Ukrainian Air Force and the Main Directorate of Intelligence told LIGA.net that they would not comment on whether Ukraine had used Western weapons to attack Russia.

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