Biden secretly authorized Ukraine to strike Russia with US weapons: officials

Washington:

President Joe Biden has quietly allowed kyiv to fire US-supplied weapons at targets in Russia, but only near the border with the area around the northern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, reports said. American officials announced Thursday.

The move amounts to a policy shift by Biden, who until now has steadfastly refused to let Ukraine use U.S. weapons for strikes inside Russia.

“The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use U.S.-supplied weapons for counterfire purposes in the Kharkiv region, so that Ukraine can retaliate against Russian forces that are attacking or preparing to attack them,” a U.S. official said. official.

The Russian embassy in Washington and the Russian mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

NATO allies have called on the United States to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons against missile launchers and other military sites in Russia that support Moscow's cross-border offensive toward Kharkiv this month .

Russian jet fighters flying into Russia supported this initiative by dropping glide bombs on the defense lines of Kharkiv and Ukraine.

News of Biden's decision came shortly after the Pentagon said U.S. policy against the use of American weapons in Russia remained unchanged.

“The security assistance we provide to Ukraine must be used inside Ukraine. And we do not encourage or allow attacks inside Russia,” the gate said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.

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