Joe Biden allows Ukraine to use US weapons to attack Russian territory

Earlier this week, NATO’s secretary general pressed allies to allow Ukraine to attack Russia with weapons it had borrowed. Although the United States was one of the countries reluctant to do so, fearing a direct confrontation with a nuclear-armed country, President Joe Biden has finally authorized Kiev to attack Russian territory with North American weapons, according to Politico, published this Thursday.

North American media reveal that Washington may have secretly given Ukraine the green light to carry out limited strikes against Russian targets on the Kharkiv border, where Russia opened a new front in early May. Biden’s reluctance to step in was not serious: Moscow has been threatening for days that there would be consequences if the Western allies authorize the Ukrainian president to use their weapons on Russian territory.

The permission Biden has granted Ukraine limits the use of North Americans only to counterattacks in Kharkiv. Ukrainian troops can use US-provided rockets and launchers to attack targets on the northeastern border with Russia. Similarly, Washington maintains a ban on long-range strikes inside Russia and rules out their use against civilian targets.

The White House has not yet given an explanation as to the reason for this change in strategy. Kharkiv is Ukraine’s second largest city and the new front that Russia has opened is forcing it to divert more troops to the region, leaving other regions more vulnerable to attacks from Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has already admitted that his people have lost in the region. Bombing against the capital and towns in the region has led to a new exodus of people within the country, while the fighting continues.

Late last week, Biden authorized a new “urgent” military aid package for Ukraine worth $275 million. The consignment was composed of defense elements, including Himers rocket launcher systems, so that Ukrainian forces could continue to hold the Kharkiv flank. The shipment, which was approved through the use of presidential transfer authority for military support, should reach Ukrainian troops within days.

The United States is not the only country to allow Ukraine to use its weapons against Russia. The first to take the step was the United Kingdom, which at the beginning of the month defended the need to allow the use of allied weapons to attack Russia. Foreign Secretary David Cameron told Kiev, “In the same way that Russia is attacking Ukrainian territory, you can completely understand why Ukraine needs to make sure it is defending itself.”

Since the conflict broke out in February 2022, one of the main concerns of the Western allies was that the use of their weapons against Russia could be interpreted as an attack that escalates the war globally. Two years later, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is pressing the alliance’s member countries to lift sanctions that prevent Ukraine from attacking Russian territory with borrowed weapons.

France, the Baltic countries and Poland have also been in favour of Stoltenberg’s request, which calls for countries to reach a common agreement. Still, this is not a joint decision, but rather each ally has to negotiate unilaterally with the Ukrainian government which weapons it can use to supply it.