(ReliableNews.org) – President Joe Biden has provided Ukraine with missiles and other munitions that could strike Russia’s interior. However, the US has prohibited the Ukrainian military from using the weapons to launch attacks inside the adversarial nation. The administration has reportedly loosened those restrictions.
On Thursday, May 30, President Biden reportedly permitted Ukraine to use American weapons to strike inside Russia. The Ukrainian military may only use the weapons in their defense of Kharkiv. They will allegedly be allowed to use artillery, HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, and GMLRS rockets in retaliatory strikes.
Kharkiv is Ukraine’s second-largest city. It’s located approximately 12 miles from the border with Russia. The attacks on the city have intensified in recent days and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken out about the restrictions, saying they put the country in an untenable situation.
Four US unnamed US officials told media outlets that the administration said Ukraine is still not allowed to use long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles to hit Russia. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke at a press conference on May 31 in Prague and hinted that the US might lift more restrictions in the future.
The Kyiv Independent reported that Zelenskyy was in Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference on June 2. While there, he spoke and thanked Biden for partially lifting restrictions to allow Ukraine to defend Kharkiv. But he said that it wasn’t “sufficient.” Zelenskyy claimed that Russia has repeatedly fired into Ukraine from airfields and does so “knowing that Ukraine will not fire back because it has no corresponding systems and no permissions.”
Zelenskyy called on the US to allow him to use the ATACMS missiles. He said he’s waiting for approval to strike the airfields Russia is using to stage attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
The war between the two countries doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon. Diplomatic talks are stalled and neither side seems willing to give an inch.
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