Following his "sobering visit" to Kiev, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has asked the White House to allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory with US weapons, the New York Times reported.
The ban prevents Kiev from attacking Russian forces massing near the Kharkov region for its offensive launched earlier in May with advanced American weapons such as ATAMS missiles.
The U.S. State Department has launched a "vigorous debate" in President Joe Biden's administration over this policy following Blinken's two-day visit to the Ukrainian capital, which took place just days after Russia launched the new offensive. It was the situation in Kharkiv Oblast that changed Blinken's position.
NYT noted that the proposal is still "in the formative stages" and it is unclear how many other senior officials on Biden's team will support it.
According to the outlet, the plan would include authorization for strikes against Russian military sites, but perhaps not against oil refineries and other infrastructure that Ukraine strikes with drones.
The idea has not yet been formally proposed to the U.S. president, who has so far been adamant about the ban, fearing a potential escalation of relations with Russia.
The Pentagon has also reaffirmed that position, but Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently hinted that the rules might be different with regard to aerial targets.
"The air dynamic is a little bit different," Austin said during a May 20 news conference, but avoided saying explicitly whether or not attacks on Russian aircraft with U.S. weapons are prohibited.
Unlike Washington, Britain does not oppose Ukraine using British Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russian soil, provoking threats from Moscow. /BGNES
