- US officials are considering letting Ukraine strike Russia with US weapons, The New York Times reports.
- Ukraine says it’s necessary to fight cross-border attacks.
- But fears of crossing Russia’s red lines have long made the US hesitate.
The US has barred Ukraine from striking targets in Russian territory with its arsenal of US weapons.
But that may be about to change. The New York Times on Thursday reported that US officials were debating rolling back the rule, which Ukraine has argued severely hampers its ability to defend itself.
The proposed U-turn came after Russia placed weapons across the border from northeastern Ukraine and directed them at Kharkiv, the Times reported, noting that Ukraine would be able to use only non-American drones to hit back.
The Times reported that the proposal was still being debated and had yet to be formally proposed to President Joe Biden.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The New York Times on Thursday reported that US officials are debating rolling back the rule, which Ukraine has argued severely hampers its ability to defend itself.
The apparent U-turn comes after Russia placed weapons across the border from northeastern Ukraine and directed them at Kharkiv, according to the Times.
Analysts say the policy shift could hand Ukraine a crucial advantage in fighting Russia’s attacks, using US weapons to strike troop gatherings and Russian planes that carry “glide bombs.”
According to reports, Biden believes that Russia could hit back by launching an attack on the US or one of its allies, leading to a retaliatory spiral that could result in nuclear war.
But so far Russia has yet to respond to these moves with a massive escalatory attack, and analysts recently told BI that the Kremlin appears keen to avoid a direct war with NATO allies.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an interview with Reuters this week, criticized Western caution, saying that its support typically came about a year too late.
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