Blinken hints America may lift ban on using US weapons to strike Russia
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has suggested that the Biden administration may be open to allowing Ukraine to strike Russian territory using American weapons, citing The New York Times.
Blinken said that the US has neither encouraged nor permitted such attacks. However, he said that Ukrainians must make their own decisions about how best to defend themselves (a position he has expressed previously - ed.) and that the US government would "adapt and adjust" its stance if necessary as the war evolves.
Blinken also responded to a journalist's question about whether his comments on "adapting and adjusting" mean that the United States might support Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with American weapons.
"Adapt and adjust means exactly that," he replied.
Permission for strikes on Russian territory with Western weapons
Since the Russian army's invasion of the Kharkiv region in early May and a series of bloody strikes by the Russians on the city, Kyiv has begun negotiations with EU countries and the US to obtain permission for strikes on Russian territory to destroy the occupiers' aircraft and missile installations.
The idea of granting permission to use Western weapons for attacks on Russian territory has been supported by Latvia, Estonia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, the United Kingdom, and most other European countries.
However, the US and Germany have expressed caution on this issue.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory are acceptable under international law, as Russian forces are attacking the country from their own territory.
French President Emmanuel Macron also supported allowing Ukraine to strike Russian territory, but specified that this should be limited to targets from which the aggressor launches missiles.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has called on Alliance countries to allow Ukraine to strike enemy targets on Russian territory. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly has adopted a similar decision, urging partner countries to follow suit.
