Biden secretly gave Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia with U.S. weapons - Politico

The Biden administration has quietly given Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia -- solely near the area of Kharkiv -- using U.S.-provided weapons, a major reversal that will help Ukraine to better defend its second-largest city.

That's according to Politico, Ukrinform reports.

"The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use U.S. weapons for counter-fire purposes in Kharkiv so Ukraine can hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them)," one U.S. official said, adding that the policy of not allowing long-range strikes inside Russia "has not changed."

In the last few days, the U.S. made the decision to allow Ukraine "flexibility" to defend itself from attacks on the border near Kharkiv, the second U.S. official said.

In effect, Ukraine can now use American-provided weapons, such as rockets and rocket launchers, to shoot down launched Russian missiles heading toward Kharkiv, at troops massing just over the Russian border near the city, or Russian bombers launching bombs toward Ukrainian territory, the official said.

However, Ukraine cannot use those weapons to hit civilian infrastructure or launch long-range missiles, such as the Army Tactical Missile System, to hit military targets deep inside Russia.