"Biden Partially Allows Russian Territorial Attacks Using US Weapons in Ukraine"

U.S. President Joe Biden has reportedly allowed the Ukrainian government to use American-supplied weapons to attack Russian mainland targets to some extent, according to U.S. media reports on the 30th (local time).

American media outlets such as Politico and the Associated Press cited multiple officials on the same day, reporting that President Biden recently authorized the use of U.S. weapons to strike Russian territory solely for the purpose of defending Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, which has been under intense Russian attacks.

Accordingly, foreign media explained that the Ukrainian military can now intercept Russian missiles heading toward Kharkiv by firing rockets or attack Russian bombers launching bombs toward Ukrainian territory near the border.

Media outlets evaluated this as a significant shift from the Biden administration's previous principle of completely prohibiting the use of U.S. weapons to attack Russian mainland targets since the start of the Ukraine war. President Biden had so far promised military support to Ukraine but drew a clear line against weapons targeting Russian mainland to prevent escalation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This policy change was made amid Russia's recent major offensive against Ukraine, putting the border city of Kharkiv at risk. The Ukrainian government has continuously requested this revision of principles, emphasizing the precarious situation, and there have been ongoing demands within the U.S. to allow the use of weapons to strike Russian mainland targets. Major Western allies such as the United Kingdom and France have already pressured the U.S. to permit counterattacks on Russian mainland using Western-supplied weapons.

An anonymous official said, "Immediately after Russia launched its attack on Kharkiv, U.S. officials seriously considered a policy change," adding, "President Biden recently instructed his team to allow the use of U.S. weapons in Kharkiv so that Ukraine can prepare sufficient counterattacks against Russian forces."

However, it remains prohibited for Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons to attack Russian civilian infrastructure or to strike deep internal military targets in Russian territory using long-range missiles.