Ukraine urges Washington to lift ban on using US-made weapons to attack Russian territory

The US’s ban on using its arms to attack Russian territory has reportedly deterred Kiev from attacking Moscow’s positions, but Ukraine is allegedly seeking to hit Russian military supply depots across the border, Politico reported.

A group of Ukrainian lawmakers is reportedly meeting with US Congress officials this week in an attempt to influence Washington in removing its restrictions.

The US has been supplying arms to Ukraine on the condition that they must not be used against targets located inside what Washington acknowledges as Russian territory. The restriction is intended to demonstrate the supposedly defensive nature of the arms supplies.

The Ukrainian MPs claim that the policy has facilitated a Russian offensive, which Moscow launched last Friday in Kharkov Region.

Two undisclosed US officials confirmed to Politico that the position of Joe Biden’s office had not changed.

“The assistance is for the defense and not for offensive operations in Russian territory,” one of the officials told Politico.

Last week, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Russia’s northern grouping of forces had taken control over the villages of Gatyshche, Krasnoe, Morokhovets, Oleenykovoe, Borysovka, Ogurtsovo, Pletenevka, Pilna and Strilechya in the Kharkov region.