The White House permitted Ukraine to use transferred US weapons to strike Russia only up to 100 kilometres from the border, The Washington Post said.
Ukrainian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed the US allowed Kyiv to hit targets in Russia with US weapons at distances of less than 100 kilometres, or about 62 miles, from the border. The decision has led to a reduction in some Russian attacks but still limits the range enough to prevent Ukraine from striking key airfields, the officials said.
US officials declined to specify the limitation but said the Ukrainians’ claim of a range of less than 100 kilometres was incorrect. Ukraine will be able to use US-supplied air defence systems to strike Russian aircraft, but only if those same aircraft are “about to fire into Ukrainian airspace,” according to Pentagon spokesman Major Charlie Dietz.
The US has agreed to allow Ukraine to fire US-provided weapons into Russia across where Russian forces are coming to attempt to take Ukrainian territory. This is not about geography or a certain radius, but if Russia is attacking or about to attack from its territory into Ukraine, Ukraine has the ability to hit back against the forces that are hitting it from across the border.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasised the assertion by a Pentagon spokesman in the interview with PBS: “This is not about geography. It’s about common sense. If Russia is attacking or about to attack from its territory into Ukraine, it only makes sense to allow Ukraine to hit back against the forces that are hitting it from across the border.”
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank, disclosed this month that the US policy restricting Ukraine’s use of US weapons in Russia has effectively created a safe zone that Russia uses to protect its combat forces.
One Ukrainian defence ministry official claimed that permitting the use of US weapons for strikes on Russian territory had made a difference, but added that “Neither the range nor the category [of weapons] is sufficient.” Military officials also acknowledged that the White House’s change in policy has not protected Ukrainian military positions from regular attacks by planning bombs.
Over two years, the Biden administration refused to let Ukraine to use US-provided weapons to hit targets inside Russia, citing fears of direct conflict between the United States and Russia. The rules changed last month after Russia launched a new offensive into the Kharkiv region. However, even under the new rules, President Biden declined to provide the green light for the use of long-range US weapons such as the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), leaving Ukraine to continue relying on its own homemade drones.
