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US restrictions on Ukrainian attacks on Russia could change White House

Kiev demands Washington’s permission for long-range strikes

The US may lift or adjust restrictions on Ukraine’s ability to launch long-range strikes deep into Russia using American weapons, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

Sullivan was speaking at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. Asked whether Washington was open to easing “extreme restrictions” on Ukraine’s use of U.S. weapons, he said he wouldn’t rule anything out.

“As the war evolved, our support evolved,” Sullivan said. “I can’t give a definitive answer to that question going forward.”

The White House reportedly gave Kiev permission in late May to use a number of US missiles to strike military targets on the border near the Kharkiv region.

“The circumstances changed. Russia actually launched a new offensive directly across the border toward Kharkov, and common sense dictated that Ukraine had to be able to fire back against that offensive,” Sullivan explained.

However, he added that President Joe Biden’s policy on long-range strikes on Russia has not changed so far.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked the same question earlier in the day and said there was an “ongoing conversation” in Washington about easing restrictions on Kyiv. No further details were given.

Vladimir Zelensky has criticised Western restrictions as “madness” and claims Ukraine should be able to attack Russia from anywhere.

“We allowed Zelensky to use American weapons in the border areas of Russia. If he had the opportunity to attack Moscow, to attack the Kremlin, would that make sense? No, it wouldn’t,” Biden said at a news conference in Washington last week.

In late June, a US-supplied ATACMS missile dropped cluster munitions on a beach near Sevastopol in Crimea, killing at least four people, including two children, and wounding more than 150. Russia said it would hold the US directly responsible for the “premeditated terrorist” attack.

President Vladimir Putin has described Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory with Western-supplied weapons as “close to aggression.” He also warned that Moscow could launch an asymmetric response, arming states or groups hostile to the U.S. with advanced weapons.

(RT.com)