US and Germany to allow Ukraine to use supplied arms to strike inside Russia near Kharkiv
Germany has joined the US in allowing Ukraine to use weapons supplied by them to defend itself against attacks launched from just inside Russia against the Kharkiv region.
US President Joe Biden partially lifted a ban on Ukraine using American-supplied weapons in strikes on Russian territory, with Berlin following suit.
The policy change from the two nations is understood to apply only to targets inside Russia near the Kharkiv region in the northeast of Ukraine – with Germany insisting that this did not make it a party to the conflict.
Writing for Forces News before the US announcement, Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former Commanding Officer of 1st Royal Tank Regiment, said Ukraine had been fighting with at least one hand tied behind its back for the last two years – and the US needed to "take off the shackles".
Mr de Bretton-Gordon discussed how Ukraine could resist Russia and hit where it hurts with the help of Nato.
He highlighted that Ukraine's armoured forces could create a 400km deep "no-go zone" for Russian troops in Russia, if the Biden administration authorised strikes on the country using US-made weapons.
"In order to avoid having to put Nato troops on the ground in Ukraine and to avoid another war in Europe... the US, UK and all allies must take the shackles off Ukraine and allow them to use the full advantage of the sophisticated long-range precision weaponry they now have, to hit Putin where it really hearts, in the 'guts' of Russia," he added.
A US official said: "The President recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use US-supplied weapons for counter-fire purposes in the Kharkiv region so Ukraine can hit back against Russian forces that are attacking them or preparing to attack them."
Nato allies had called on Washington to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons against missile launchers and other military sites inside Russia.
Moscow launched a cross-border offensive toward Kharkiv earlier this month, which has seen Russian attack aircraft launch glide bombs at Kharkiv and Ukrainian defence lines.
A German government spokesperson said Berlin agreed with its allies that Kyiv could use the weapons to defend itself against strikes from positions in the immediately adjacent Russian border area.
"We are jointly convinced that Ukraine has the right, guaranteed under international law, to defend itself against these attacks," they added.
"To do so, it can also use the weapons supplied for this purpose in accordance with its international legal obligations; including those supplied by us."
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