Berlin allows Ukraine to use German weapons against targets in Russia after US also softens stance

kyiv, Ukraine (AP) — Germany joined the United States Friday in allowing Ukraine to strike some targets on Russian soil with long-range weapons it supplies — a significant policy shift that comes as exhausted Ukrainian troops lose ground in the war. .

Ukrainian officials have expressed frustration with restrictions on the use of Western weapons – especially as the border region of Kharkiv suffered a Russian attack this month that strained kyiv's forces, under equipped and under-equipped.

Germany and the United States specifically authorized the defense of Kharkiv, whose namesake capital is just 20 kilometers from Russia. Russian ballistic missiles struck an apartment building in the city overnight, killing at least four people.

Beyond offering Ukraine a chance to better protect Kharkiv, it is unclear what effect easing restrictions might have on the direction of the conflict in what is proving to be a critical period.

The German government has said Ukraine can use the weapons it supplies against positions just across the border from where Russia launches its attacks on Kharkiv. A day earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden gave Kiev the green light to retaliate with U.S. weapons against Russian military assets targeting the region, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The German announcement sparked a furious reaction from Moscow, where Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian Security Council, said that “Ukraine and its NATO allies will receive such a devastating response that the alliance will not be able to avoid entering into conflict. – a possibility that Western governments have ruled out.

Western leaders have been reluctant to ease restrictions on their weapons because of the risk of provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly warned that direct Western involvement could put the world on a path to conflict nuclear.

But as Russia has recently taken battlefield initiative in parts of the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, some Western leaders have pushed for a policy change allowing kyiv to strike military bases in Russia with sophisticated long-range weapons supplied by its Western partners.

The Kremlin's larger and better-equipped army is exploiting Ukraine's shortage of troops and ammunition after a long delay in U.S. military aid. Western Europe's insufficient military production has also slowed crucial deliveries to Ukraine.

The German government statement points out that in recent weeks, Russia has prepared, coordinated and carried out attacks on the Kharkiv region, particularly from areas just across the Russian border.

“Together, we are convinced that Ukraine has the right under international law to defend itself against these attacks,” the statement said. “For this, it can also use the weapons delivered for this purpose in accordance with its international legal commitments, including those delivered by us,” he adds, without giving more details on what Berlin described as confidential agreements. with kyiv.

Biden's decision authorizes the use of US-supplied weapons for “counterfire purposes in the Kharkiv region so that Ukraine can retaliate against Russian forces attacking or preparing to attack them” , an official told the Associated Press.

But the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue, stressed that U.S. policy calling on Ukraine not to use ATACMS, long-range missiles and other U.S.-supplied munitions to carry out offensive strikes inside Russia has not changed.

Whether to allow Ukraine to hit targets on Russian soil with Western-supplied weapons has been a delicate issue since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Friday he supported lifting limits on Ukraine's use of Western weapons, saying it was “a matter of respect for international law, the right of Ukraine for self-defense.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström stressed that his country had not restricted Ukraine's use of its weapons at all, while Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Rome would not would not let kyiv use Italian weapons outside its territory.

In Moscow, Medvedev reiterated Russian warnings that the measures taken could put NATO and Russia on the path to nuclear conflict. “This is not an attempt to scare or some kind of nuclear bluff,” he said.

Russia's new Defense Minister, Andrei Belousov, said Friday that Russian troops are “advancing in all tactical directions,” including in the Kharkiv region where, he said, they have pushed back Ukrainian forces by 9 kilometers (5 miles). Russian forces have captured 28 towns and villages over the past month, it said.

In total, since the start of the year, Russian forces have taken control of 880 square kilometers (340 square miles) of territory, he added.

It was not possible to verify his claims on the battlefield.

On Friday night, Russia launched five ballistic missiles at Kharkiv, the Ukrainian Air Force announced. One hit a residential building around midnight and was followed by another missile 25 minutes later that hit first responders, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov. At least 25 people were injured, he said.

Ukrainian officials have previously accused Russia of targeting rescue workers by hitting residential buildings with two consecutive missiles – the first to attract emergency crews to the scene and the second to injure or kill them. Russia used this method in the Syrian civil war.

Besides Kharkiv, Moscow troops are pressing in the Donetsk region further south and gathering a force for an expected attack in the Sumy region further north, according to Ukrainian officials.

___

Lee and Janicek contributed from Prague. Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at