Borrell: US approves Ukraine strikes on Russian territory
Photo: Josep Borrell (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The United States has authorized Ukraine to use missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers to strike Russian territory, stated head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, at a press conference following a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
According to Borrell, this issue was discussed during a meeting of the EU foreign ministers.
"The Biden administration has authorized the use of its weapons up to 300 kilometers inside Russian territories. A radius of 300 kilometers is not a lot of distance, it's not a very long distance," he said.
He added that he didn't know why this decision was made now, rather than before the election.
Borrel also stated that EU foreign ministers did not reach a joint decision to lift restrictions on the use of Western weapons on Russian territory and added that each country decides this matter independently.
Rumors of authorization for strikes deeper into Russia
On Sunday, November 17, media reported that France and the UK had allegedly granted Ukraine permission to use Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles for strikes on Russian territory.
This information surfaced amid reports that Ukraine had already received such approval from the United States. Later, Axios reported that the US authorization for ATACMS missile strikes on Russia applied only to the Kursk region.
However, it's worth noting that Jon Finer, Deputy National Security Advisor to US President Joe Biden, refused to confirm these rumors.
Ukraine had been asking its allies since the beginning of the year for permission to use transferred missiles for strikes on Russian territory. The restrictions were only lifted after North Korean soldiers began aiding Russia in its war against Ukraine.
For more details on media rumors about strikes deeper into Russia, see the material by RBC-Ukraine.
