On Wednesday, two senior officials in the Biden Administration hinted at the possibility of allowing Ukraine to directly attack Russian territory with weapons that were provided by the United States.
According to Politico, there has been ongoing pressure from Europe for the United States to lift its restrictions on the use of American weapons in the ongoing war. The potential shift comes as Russia makes significant gains in the war-torn nation, including its latest assault on the second-largest city of Kharkiv, leading to greater concerns from allies that Ukraine may not be able to withstand the Russian offensive for much longer.
While visiting Moldova, Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned the possibility of changing this particular policy, claiming that it is a “hallmark” of the Biden Administration’s foreign policy to “adapt as the conditions have changed, as the battlefield has changed, as what Russia does has changed.”
Later, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby echoed Blinken’s sentiments; while emphasizing that there is, as of yet, “no change” in the current U.S. policy towards Ukraine, he nevertheless said that the United States’ “support to Ukraine has evolved appropriately.”
Politico spoke with two other anonymous officials on the matter. One of the sources claimed that, during a visit to Belgium on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky begged Western allies to “please give us permission” to use foreign weapons to launch counter-attacks on Russian soil, which would mark a major escalation in the war. An internal document from within the Ukrainian government affirmed the country’s desperation for such restrictions to be lifted, claiming that these regulations “significantly reduce the effectiveness of partners’ assistance and neutralize the efforts made.”
However, boh anonymous sources claimed that a final decision has not been made with regards to this particular strategy, and that Blinken and Kirby were speaking in broad, general terms rather than addressing a specific policy.