Previously, an official from the administration of US President Joe Biden confirmed that the White House had authorized Kiev to use American weapons for counter-battery warfare and hit targets in the part of Russia bordering Ukraine’s Kharkov Region where Russian troops have made significant gains in recent weeks. Media reports have claimed that Biden’s permission came with the condition that Kiev would not use ATACMS missiles.
Asked to comment on Biden’s decision, Peskov stated that the Kremlin “doesn’t know anything about this particular decision”, but claimed that “attempts are already being made to strike Russian territory with American-made weapons”, and that “this more than eloquently demonstrates the degree of involvement of the US in this conflict”.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has complained that while Biden’s permission would provide a “significant boost” to Kiev’s ability to strike Russian targets across the border, it is not enough. Zelensky demanded bolder steps from Washington and requested permission to also use ATACMS missiles against targets deep inside Russia.
On Friday, NATO members Norway and Finland became the latest nations to authorize Kiev to use Western-supplied weapons to carry out long-range attacks against Russia. Other nations that have openly supported Ukrainian attacks deep into Russian territory include the UK, France, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Germany.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has also urged member states to permit Ukraine to use Western long-range weapons against Russia. He told The Economist last week that the issue has become critical as Russian forces continue to gain ground in Kharkov Region.
“To deny Ukraine the possibility of using these weapons against legitimate military targets on Russian territory makes it very hard for them to defend themselves,” Stoltenberg argued.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that Moscow is already aware of Western weapons being used against “various targets outside the combat zone” and is acting in accordance with the fact that American and other Western weaponry is being used against Russia’s civilian infrastructure and residential areas.
President Vladimir Putin stressed Kiev has already been striking Russia’s Belgorod Region and has ignored Moscow’s warnings that it would have to create a security zone along the border to prevent further attacks. He warned that any further escalation of the conflict would have “serious consequences”.
