Pressure Biden to let Ukraine hit Russia with US weapons

BBC's Jeremy Bowen explains why this is a critical point in the war

Pressure is growing on US President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied weapons to strike Russian territory.

A number of US allies indicated this week that they were open to the possibility, after months of concern about an escalation.

Russian Vladimir Putin has warned of “serious consequences”, particularly for what he calls the “small countries” of Europe.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington's position on the issue would “adapt and adjust” based on changing battlefield conditions. He is currently in Prague, the Czech capital, for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday evening that while U.S. support for kyiv has evolved, “at this time there is no change in our policy either.” .

Ukraine is struggling to counter a Russian offensive in the east of the country, while the city of Kharkiv has been suffering deadly attacks for weeks, often launched by Russia from military outposts near the Ukrainian border.

Blinkens' statement, during a trip to Europe, followed more direct comments made earlier this week by French President Emmanuel Macron, who said Ukraine should be allowed to use weapons supplied by the West against military sites on Russian territory – but strictly not on civilian targets. .

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High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (Himars) are among the weapons supplied by the United States to Ukraine.

Mr. Macron has argued for more direct intervention in Ukraine's war for some time, but other Western leaders also appear to be softening to the idea.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz remained cautious in public, but a spokesman in Berlin said “defensive action is not limited to one's own territory, but also includes the territory of the aggressor.”

Last week, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told The Economist newspaper that the West should allow Ukraine to defend itself by striking military bases in Russia. Ukraine has the right to defend itself. And that includes strikes on targets on Russian territory, he added.

British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said earlier this month that it was up to Ukraine to decide how to use British weapons, while this week Poland's deputy defense minister said that the Ukrainians could use Polish weapons as they saw fit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously said it was “unfair” for Western countries to impose limits on the use of their weapons, while acknowledging that Ukraine could not risk the support of its partners.

Russia has reacted angrily to the prospect of Western weapons being used against targets on Russian territory.

“In Europe, especially in small countries, they should be aware of what they are playing with,” Vladimir Putin said, emphasizing that many European countries have a “small territory” and a “dense population.”

The Russian leader added that responsibility for any strikes inside his country's territory would lie with Western arms suppliers, even if Ukrainian forces carried out those strikes.

Some NATO countries remain nervous about this prospect. On Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she did not consider it necessary to strike Russian military bases and urged the West to provide more air defenses to Ukraine.

However, it appears that Ukraine has already used some Western-supplied weapons to attack Russian territory, although it did so without fanfare.

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze told Ukrainian media that some countries have already supplied weapons to Ukraine unconditionally, but not everything has been said out loud.

Other countries have been more willing to allow Ukraine to use its weapons in Russia.

The United States has already supplied Ukraine with thousands of defensive weapons, tanks and air defense systems.

Since April, it has also sent Ukraine the longest version of the ATACMS missiles, which can travel up to 300 km.

Until now, Ukraine has used drones to attack targets increasingly distant from Russian territory.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Ukrainian drones managed to hit an early warning radar near the town of Orsk, about 1,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

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