US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has suggested that the United States consider allowing Ukraine to use American-supplied weapons to directly attack Russian territory, given the changing battlefield dynamics in Ukraine.
It’s the first time a senior Biden administration official has indicated there could be a possible policy change.
Until now, the US had banned Ukraine from using US weapons, such as ATACMS missiles, to target Russian territory.
But Blinken’s comments are consistent with recent statements from European officials supporting Ukraine’s use of Western weapons against Russian sites used for the invasion.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has suggested that the United States consider allowing Ukraine to use American-supplied weapons to directly attack Russian territory.
More than two years after Europe’s deadliest war since World War II, Western allies are debating how to stem Russia’s military advance, while Putin increasingly raises the risk of global war. In the photo is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is traveling 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, that ties one hand of the Ukrainians behind their back and makes it very difficult for them to conduct defense,” Stoltenberg said at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Blinken chose his words carefully during a meeting with the president of Moldova and was keen to make clear that the US did not encourage or enable attacks on Russian territory.
He said Ukraine “must make its own decisions about how best to defend itself effectively.” We are going to make sure it has the equipment it needs.”
“Another feature of our support to Ukraine during this period, now more than two years, has been adapting to the circumstances and the battlefield. What Russia is doing has changed in how it pursues its aggression and escalation,” Blinken said. said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, seen here with Kraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has also indicated that it may be time for a change in policy
Ukrainian soldiers hold a national flag over the coffin of Ukrainian soldier Ruslan Troianchuk, call sign “Friend”, who was killed in Donetsk region
Ukrainian firefighters with the tactical robot Magirus Wolf C1 carry out firefighting efforts at the site of the Russian airstrike on the private residential area of the city of Oleksievo-Druzhkivka
“We have also adapted and adapted, and I am confident we will continue to do so.”
Officials within the Biden administration have said a policy change is being considered, but no decision has been made yet.
“We do not encourage or enable attacks with U.S. weapons on Russian soil,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
“Our support for Ukraine has evolved appropriately as battlefield conditions have evolved, and that will not change, but there is no change in our policy at this time either.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry had warned in September 2022 that if the US were to become involved, it would “cross a red line” and be considered a “direct party to the conflict” in the eyes of the Kremlin if it begin delivering longer-range missiles to Kiev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of the threat of global conflict if Kiev’s Western allies allow the country to use the weapons they supply to attack inside Russia, something the Ukrainian government is urging its partners to do to allow.
The US, Kiev’s main arms supplier, approved a $61 billion aid package in April after months of delays that worsened artillery shell shortages.
Ukrainian soldiers carry the coffin of a Ukrainian soldier who died in the Donetsk region
Military investigators work at the site of the damaged building that houses the Paradise restaurant after a strike in Donetsk, Russia-controlled Ukraine, earlier this month
Western allies debate how to stop Russia’s military advance, while Russian President Vladimir Putin increasingly raises the risk of global war
Blinken said US arms shipments were now having a “real impact” and that Putin had failed to achieve his goals in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, where Russian forces launched an offensive this month, opening a new front.
“On the contrary, I think we are once again seeing a stabilization of the front and a failure of Putin’s objectives,” he said.
Blinken will travel to Prague on Wednesday to attend an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers that will focus on advancing preparations ahead of a July summit of the alliance in Washington.
The U.S. has been working with European allies to help Ukraine build its long-term military, efforts that would bring Kyiv closer to NATO.
Individual members, including the US, are working on bilateral agreements with Ukraine.
More than two years after Europe’s deadliest war since World War II, Western allies are debating how to stem Russia’s military advance, while Putin increasingly raises the risk of global war.