The Biden administration has quietly given Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia with American weapons, but with a number of restrictions, Politico reports.
"The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use US weapons for counter-fire purposes in Kharkiv so Ukraine can hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them," a US official told the publication.
He added that the policy of allowing long-range strikes inside Russia "has not changed".
The official noted that Ukraine asked the US to make this policy change only after Russia’s offensive on Kharkiv began this month.
Another source said that in last few days, the U.S. made the decision to allow Ukraine “flexibility” to defend itself from attacks on the border near Kharkiv.
In effect, Ukraine can now use American-provided weapons, such as rockets and rocket launchers, to shoot down launched Russian missiles heading toward Kharkiv, at troops massing just over the Russian border near the city.
At the same time, Ukraine cannot use those weapons to hit civilian infrastructure or launch long-range missiles to hit military targets deep inside Russia.
Previously, the Biden administration did not authorise such actions, but the deteriorating conditions for Ukraine on the battlefield forced the US president to change his mind.
"The Biden administration hinted that a decision had either been secretly made or forthcoming in recent days. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who supports a restriction lift, became the first US official to publicly hint that Biden may shift course and allow such strikes," the article says.
Later, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby did not rule out possible changes.