Ukraine Granted Permission to Use Western Weapons to Strike Targets Inside Russia
In a significant policy shift, Ukraine has been given the green light to use Western weapons to hit targets inside Russia. This decision comes after the latest Russian advance in the north-eastern Kharkiv region, which posed a serious threat to Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Previously, Western countries had restricted the use of their weapons to military targets within Ukraine, fearing that striking across the internationally recognized border could escalate the conflict. However, the Russian advance in Kharkiv convinced Kyiv’s allies that Ukraine needed to be able to defend itself by targeting military sites on the other side of the border as well.
Following growing pressure from Ukraine and other European states, the US agreed to change its policy and allow Kyiv to strike Russia with Western weapons. This decision was announced during a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Prague.
While the US did not include long-range weapons in its permission, such as the ATACMS with a range of 300km, Ukraine now has the ability to target military facilities near its border using multiple rocket launchers like HIMARS. This shift in policy will significantly disrupt Russian logistics operations and troop movements, slowing down any offensive plans.
However, the use of Western weapons may not protect Ukraine from Russian glide bombs known as KAB, which have been devastating border towns. To counter these attacks, Ukraine would need to target the planes dropping the bombs, a task that currently only the US air-defense system Patriot can handle.
Despite the limitations, the UK and France have not explicitly restricted the use of their jointly made Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles, which have a range of up to 250km. This permission could allow Ukraine to target military sites from which it is being attacked.
President Zelensky has expressed the belief that using Western weapons on Russian territory is only a matter of time. Ukrainian forces are also developing their own weapons, with some drones successfully attacking targets hundreds of kilometers away from the border.
As the conflict continues to escalate, the decision to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike targets inside Russia marks a significant development in the ongoing crisis.
