Ukraine May Be Allowed to Strike at Greater Distances with American Weapons

James O'Brien, Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, stated that this would happen "if Russia attempts to expand the front." The U.S. may allow strikes on Russian territory from a greater distance than currently possible using American weapons. This was announced by James O'Brien during a hearing in the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“We have tried to supply Ukraine with weapons and to deploy them in areas where they were most needed, near Kharkiv. As National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said last week, if Russia tries to expand the front, Ukraine may retaliate further,” he noted.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on May 31 that President Joe Biden had agreed to strikes on Russian territory using American weapons. According to the U.S. diplomacy chief, this applies only to strikes in the areas of Russia near Kharkiv. At the same time, he did not rule out the possibility that the range of American weapon strikes within Russia could increase.

Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned on May 28 that the flight missions of modern strike systems are carried out remotely or automatically “without the presence of Ukrainian servicemen.” He emphasized that those who produce and supply these strike systems to Ukraine are responsible.

Putin warned that NATO countries need to “take into account what they are playing with.” Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, stated on May 31 that all long-range strike capabilities supplied to Ukraine are already “directly controlled by NATO country servicemen,” and such actions could provoke retaliatory strikes.