US ready to 'adapt and adjust' if Ukraine uses its weapons to attack Russia – Firstpost

In a major turn of events, the United States signaled for the first time that it may reconsider its position on allowing Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons to strike Russian territory. This marks a potential change from previous policy, which prohibited Ukraine from using U.S. weapons like ATACMS missiles for attacks inside Russia.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States has adapted and adjusted at every stage and will continue to do so as the situation evolves. Further clarifying his statement, he said that “adapt and adjust” does indeed imply potential flexibility in supporting Ukrainian strikes in Russia with American-made weapons. Although the United States has not explicitly encouraged such actions, Blinken reiterated that Ukraine should make its own decisions to defend itself effectively.

The statement comes amid growing calls from Western allies to lift some restrictions on the use of their weapons, especially as Russia steps up its offensive in eastern Ukraine. Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, the United States has provided substantial military aid to Ukraine, but has insisted on not escalating the conflict by targeting Russian soil with American-made weapons. .

Several European leaders have called on President Biden to stop imposing these limits. The French president also joined the NATO chief on Wednesday in pushing for a policy shift that could change the face of the war in Ukraine, by allowing kyiv to strike military bases in Russia with sophisticated long-range weapons supplied by its Western partners.

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.

Western leaders have mostly been reluctant to take the step because it risks provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly warned that direct Western involvement could put the world on a path to nuclear conflict .

With the contribution of agencies.