U.S.-supplied weapons have been used by Ukraine to strike inside Russian territory, confirmed by a U.S. senator and a Western official.
Ukraine has recently utilized U.S. weapons to conduct strikes inside Russia, as confirmed by a U.S. senator and a Western official familiar with the matter. These actions follow newly approved guidance from President Joe Biden, permitting American arms to be used for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Under this directive, U.S.-supplied weapons can be employed to target Russian forces attacking or preparing to attack. However, U.S. policy still prohibits Ukraine from using American-provided ATACMS or other long-range munitions for offensive strikes within Russian territory. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information, highlighted the limited scope of this authorization.
Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, confirmed the use of U.S. weapons in the strikes but did not disclose the source of his briefing. Ukrainian officials had been urging the U.S. to permit defensive actions against attacks originating from Russia, especially given Kharkiv’s proximity—just 20 kilometers (12 miles)—to the Russian border.
The intensity of Russian attacks on Kharkiv has increased as Russian forces advance in the northeastern region. This escalation has been exacerbated by delays in U.S. military aid replenishments and inadequate military production in Western Europe, which has slowed critical deliveries to Ukraine’s battlefield.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby stated he could not confirm the use of U.S. weapons by Ukraine against Russian targets. “We’re just not in a position on a day-to-day basis of knowing exactly what the Ukrainians are firing at what,” Kirby told reporters. “It’s certainly at a tactical level.”
The Institute for the Study of War reported on June 3 that Ukrainian forces likely used the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to strike a Russian S-300/400 air defense battery in the Belgorod region on June 1 or June 2. This air defense system was positioned approximately 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the current front line in northern Kharkiv and over 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the city of Kharkiv, within HIMARS range.
The confirmation of these strikes coincides with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Qatar, a nation that, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has been a key mediator in prisoner swaps and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine since the war began.
Senator Rounds expressed his support for Biden’s decision to allow U.S. weapons to be used in limited strikes against Russia. “I have no problem with Ukraine using the ATACMS and so forth and all the artillery that we got to be able to take them out before they cause more harm in Ukraine,” Rounds said.
