Attack Russian territory with Western weapons?

Military experts believe that the US policy prohibiting Ukraine from using American weaponry to attack targets inside Russia is giving the invader an important advantage as it develops its recent offensive in the northern Kharkiv region.

The latest offensive began on May 10, but Kharkiv itself – Ukraine’s second-largest city – has come under daily missile attack since the full-scale war began in February 2022.

The city of about 1.4 million people, now crowded with refugees from the surrounding towns and villages, has become something of a symbol of continuing Ukrainian resistance.

Being able to use the powerful, long-range weapons supplied by its Western allies would allow Ukraine to strike at targets across the border in Russia. This would help Kyiv’s military planners shape the wider battlefield in their favor. As it stands, Russia can mass forces and supplies in relative safety because of the proximity of its key infrastructure such as air bases and supply depots, just across the border.

Washington has always been adamant that Ukraine mustn’t use its weapons to target Russia. But there are reports that the State Department is pushing for a change in light of the fresh offensive in the Kharkiv region.

On a visit to Kyiv on May 15, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken implied that the time might be right to allow Ukraine to use US weapon systems to strike at targets across the border, saying: “We have not encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately Ukraine has to make decisions for itself about how it’s going to conduct this war.”

There has been no official policy shift, but the removal of this limitation on Kyiv’s use of US weapons systems would mark a significant moment in the conflict. Despite