US President Joe Biden has permitted Ukraine to use American-supplied weapons to strike targets in Russia, but only near the Kharkiv region, US officials say.
Russian forces have made gains in the Kharkiv region in recent weeks after a surprise offensive in the area, close to the border with Russia.
On Friday, Ukrainian officials said three people had been killed and 16 injured in Russian shelling of a residential building in a suburb of Kharkiv city.
The US official also said: “Our policy concerning prohibiting the use of Army Tactical Missile System [ATACMS] or long-range strikes inside of Russia has not changed.”
When asked, whether the new policy included attacking Russian aircraft, an official said: “We’ve never told them [Ukraine] they can’t shoot down a Russian airplane over Russian soil that’s coming to attack them.”
The White House and State Department had no immediate comment.
The UK earlier signaled that it was open to an easing of restrictions on how Ukraine could use weapons supplied by the West.
Despite concerns that such a development could further escalate the conflict, several European leaders also recently called for restrictions on using such weapons to be relaxed.
But Washington, which provides the bulk of Ukraine’s weaponry, had resisted easing these restrictions over fears of escalation.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hinted at the shift during a visit to Moldova on Wednesday.
“At every step along the way, we’ve adapted and adjusted as necessary,” he said.
“And so that’s exactly what we’ll do going forward.”
