US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has suggested that the US is contemplating allowing Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to directly attack Russian territory, given the changing dynamics on the battlefield in Ukraine.
It is the first time a senior Biden administration official has indicated there could be a possible policy change.
Until now, the United States had prohibited Ukraine from using American weapons, such as ATACMS missiles, against Russian territory.
But Blinken’s comments align with recent statements by European officials who support Ukraine using Western weapons against Russian sites used for the invasion.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has suggested that the US is contemplating allowing Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to directly attack Russian territory.
More than two years after the deadliest war in Europe since World War II, Western allies are debating how to stop Russian military advances, as Putin increasingly raises the risk of global war. Pictured is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on a trip to Portugal this week.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also suggested this week that “the time has come to consider whether it will be right to lift some of the restrictions.”
“If they cannot attack military targets on Russian territory, then the Ukrainians have one hand tied behind their back and it is very difficult for them to carry out defense,” Stoltenberg said at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Blinken carefully chose his words during a meeting with the president of Moldova and wanted to make clear that the United States did not encourage or allow attacks on Russian territory.
He said Ukraine “has to make its own decisions about how best to defend itself effectively.” We will make sure you have the equipment you need to do it.”
“Another hallmark of our support for Ukraine over these, now, more than two years, has been adapting as conditions have changed and the battlefield has changed, as what Russia does has changed in terms of how it conducts carry out their aggression and escalation,” Blinken. saying.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, seen here with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has also indicated that it could be time for a policy change.
Ukrainian soldiers hold a national flag over the coffin of Ukrainian soldier Ruslan Troianchuk, with the callsign “Friend”, who was killed in the Donetsk region.
Ukrainian firefighters with the Magirus Wolf C1 tactical robot carry out extinguishing tasks at the site of the Russian air strike in the private residential area of the city of Oleksievo-Druzhkivka
“We too have adapted and adjusted, and I am confident we will continue to do so.”
Biden administration officials have said a policy change is being considered, but a decision has not yet been made.
“We do not encourage or permit US weapons attacks on Russian soil,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
“Our support for Ukraine has evolved appropriately as battlefield conditions have evolved, and that is not going to change, but at this time there is no change in our policy either.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry had warned in September 2022 that if the United States became involved, it would “cross a red line” and be considered a “direct party to the conflict” in the eyes of the Kremlin if it began supplying larger missiles. reach kyiv.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of the threat of global conflict if kyiv’s Western allies allow him to use weapons they have supplied to attack inside Russia, something Ukraine’s government is urging its partners to allow.
The United States, which is kyiv’s largest arms supplier, approved a $61 billion aid package in April after months of delays that exacerbated a shortage of artillery shells.
Ukrainian soldiers carry the coffin of the Ukrainian soldier killed in the Donetsk region
Military investigators work at the site of the damaged building that houses the Paradise restaurant following an attack in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, earlier this month.
Western allies are debating how to stop Russian military advances, while Russian President Vladimir Putin increasingly raises the risk of global war.
Blinken said American weapons supplies were now having a “real effect” and that Putin had failed to achieve his objectives in the Kharkiv area of northeastern Ukraine, where Russian forces launched an offensive this month, opening a new forehead.
“On the contrary, I think what we see is a stabilization of the front and a failure in terms of Putin’s objectives,” he said.
Blinken will travel to Prague on Wednesday to attend an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers, which will focus on advancing preparations ahead of the alliance’s July summit in Washington.
The United States has been working with European allies to help Ukraine build its force for the long term, efforts that would bring kyiv closer to NATO.
Individual members, including the United States, are working to reach bilateral agreements with Ukraine.
More than two years after the deadliest war in Europe since World War II, Western allies are debating how to stop Russian military advances, as Putin increasingly raises the risk of global war.
