Austin: Granting Ukraine permission to carry out limited strikes inside Russia will be 'very helpful'

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin believes the new policy allowing the Ukrainian military to carry out limited strikes inside Russia with U.S. munitions will be "very, very helpful to the Ukrainians going forward."

He said this during an interview with CNN, Ukrinform reports.

"What we have done is provided Ukraine the ability to counter fire, to fire back at those Russian troops that are firing at them and to be able to take out their artillery batteries as they're firing at the Ukrainians," Austin said.

Austin's comments came days after Biden gave Ukraine permission to strike inside Russian territory — though limiting it to targets close to the border of Kharkiv where Russian forces have been concentrating their efforts — with U.S. munitions.

Photo: CNN