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BREAKING: Biden “directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use U.S. weapons for counter-fire purposes in Kharkiv so Ukraine can hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them,” a U.S. official confirmed. w/ @ErinBanco https://t.co/M60uzFdTrx
— Alex Ward (@alexbward) May 30, 2024
The Biden administration has quietly given Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia — solely near the area of Kharkiv — using U.S.-provided weapons, a U.S. official and two other people familiar with the move said Thursday, a major reversal that will help Ukraine to better defend its second-largest city.
"The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use U.S. weapons for counter-fire purposes in Kharkiv so Ukraine can hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them," a U.S. official confirmed, adding that the policy of allowing long-range strikes inside Russia "has not changed."
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It's better than nothing but restricting it to near Kharkiv is still very much nonsense, if Ukraine is allowed to strike Russia then what difference does it make whether it's near Kharkiv or somewhere else. You basically say to Russians they can instead build forces near Sumy and be safe. Still restricting long-range strikes is frustrating too considering that's where the airfields are.
The immediate tangible effect is that Ukraine will be able to use HIMARS for targets across the border. Ukraine has been using Bohdana and other non-US supplied artillery to strike into Russia, but they often had to push those howitzers closer to the front line to hit deeper… https://t.co/6uGdHtut1M
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) May 30, 2024
But the US official said Ukraine cannot use those weapons to hit civilian infrastructure or launch long-range missiles, such as the Army Tactical Missile System, to hit military targets deep inside Russia.
— Dave Brown (@dave_brown24) May 30, 2024
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