US State Department clarified its position on Ukraine's strikes against Russia using Western weapons
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller (photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine is a sovereign country and does not need permission from the US to strike targets on Russian territory, states State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
He noted that Ukraine does not need US permission to retaliate against Russian targets.
"They are a sovereign country and can use the weapons that they build on their own, of which are many, if you look at the programs that they have put in place over the last year. And then when you look at the weapons that we have provided to them, we’ve made clear that they can use them to strike back against Russian targets across the border that are launching attacks," the spokesperson said.
Miller also added that the US is always assessing additional tools that could be provided to Kyiv and reminded of the military aid package of nearly $8 billion approved last week by President Joe Biden.
Permission for Ukraine to strike Russia with American weapons
The US prohibits the Ukrainian Armed Forces from using domestically produced weapons to strike targets on Russian territory, as this poses a significant risk of escalation.
This issue became one of the key topics during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the US last week.
Earlier, media reports suggested that the US and the UK had supposedly granted permission for strikes against Russia. The President's Office stated that the first to feel the consequences of such permission would be the Russians themselves.
President Zelenskyy urged allies not to delay their decisions, as the Russian military is relocating air bases and moving assets further away from the Ukrainian border.
In the UK, there are expectations for the lifting of restrictions before the onset of winter.
