President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's spokesman, Serhiy Nykyforov, told The Guardian that the United States has allowed Ukraine to use American weapons to strike Russian territory in a limited way, Yevropeyska Pravda reports.
Nykyforov confirmed media reports that appeared the day before that the administration of US President Joe Biden had privately approved Ukraine's strikes on Russian territory using US weapons, but only near the Kharkiv Region.
"This will greatly enhance our ability to counter Russian attempts to attack across the border," the spokesman for the Ukrainian president said.
In a comment to Yevropeyska Pravda, Nykyforov said: "We began to receive positive signals through diplomatic channels about the limited use of weapons from the United States in the region bordering Kharkiv."
The outlet notes that in an interview with The Guardian, Zelenskyy made it clear that Ukraine needs the ability to use "powerful" long-range weapons that can hit targets deep inside Russian territory - a red line that the White House has refused to lift.
Without this green light, he said, other allies, such as the United Kingdom, may also not allow Ukraine to use its long-range weapons.
"Believe us, we have to respond. They understand nothing but force. We are not the first and not the last target," he said.