WASHINGTON, June 3 The United States gave the go-ahead to Ukraine only for » targeted and limited use of American weapons inside the Russian Federation to disrupt attacks on its own forces, said John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the National Security Council.
“If they (the Ukrainians) know that there is a Russian unit right across the border that is about to attack, then common sense dictates that they be allowed to use weapons received from the United States … for self-defense. This is a targeted and limited in scope (use ),» he said at a briefing for journalists.
Kirby confirmed that we are talking about areas adjacent to the Kharkov region.
He repeated that the ban on the use of long-range weapons defeats against targets inside the Russian Federation remain in effect.
Earlier, a representative of the US State Department said that US President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to use American weapons for counter-battery combat against targets on Russian territory that threaten the Kharkov area, but left in force the ban on the use of ATACMS operational-tactical missiles and other long-range fire weapons. As the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing American officials, the United States will allow Kyiv to use HIMARS MLRS, GMLRS missile systems and artillery for attacks on Russian territory adjacent to the Kharkov region.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that representatives of NATO countries should be aware of “what they are playing with” when they talk about plans to allow Kyiv to strike “legitimate targets” deep into the territory of the Russian Federation with missile systems transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine by the West.
Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the possible response of the Russian Federation to new attacks on Russian territory, stated that the head of state and the military know about this, “who are taking appropriate countermeasures and preparing for them.”
Russia believes that the deliveries weapons to Ukraine interfere with the settlement, directly involve NATO countries in the conflict and are “playing with fire.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. According to him, the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict, including not only by supplying weapons, but also by training personnel in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries. The Kremlin stated that pumping Ukraine up with weapons from the West does not contribute to negotiations and will have a negative effect.