Authorisation for US-supplied weapons strikes on Russia not limited to Kharkiv Oblast – White House
Pravda Ukraine
Michael Carpenter, Senior Director for European Affairs at the US National Security Council, has said that the US decision to allow Ukraine to strike with US weapons on Russian territory is not limited to Kharkiv Oblast.
Source: Carpenter in an exclusive interview with TSN on the national joint 24/7 newscast on the evening of 31 May, European Pravda reports
Carpenter noted that for reasons of operational security, he could not disclose the details of the conditions under which Ukraine could launch strikes on Russian territory.
However, when asked, he confirmed that the territories in question were not only those near Kharkiv Oblast, but also those in Sumy Oblast.
Quote: “This applies to the entire region in the north (of Ukraine – ed.), where Russian forces are firing on Ukraine from what would otherwise be relative sanctuary, but now enabling Ukrainian forces to [use] munitions and weapons to be able to fire back,” the US National Security Council official said.
Carpenter declined to say whether Washington’s decision could be extended to other Russian territories.
“This guidance applies to the northern border in the Kharkiv and Sumy region, where precisely Russian forces are firing on Ukraine,” he stressed.
Background:
- Since February 2022, the United States has refused to allow any weapons it supplies to Ukraine to be used for strikes on Russian territory. Ukraine has been allowed to strike targets in Crimea because it is located within Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders, and Washington says Moscow’s annexation of the peninsula is illegal.
- As European Pravda previously reported, Ukraine received confirmation authorising limited strikes on Russian territory with US-supplied weapons. However, President Zelenskyy was careful to comment on how this would be implemented in practice.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken believes it is right to adjust restrictions on the use of weapons Ukraine receives from the United States.
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