Strict limits for Ukraine on the use of American weapons on the territory of Russia

President Joe Biden's decision to allow Ukrainian forces to use American weapons in the border areas with the Russian Federation, except for the use of ATACMS - long-range missiles, is only a facility given to Ukraine to strengthen its defense against initiated air raids daily from Russian territory, raids that result in bombings that affect the infrastructure of the neighboring country and with victims among the civilian population, claim officials cited by CNN and Politico.eu.

This was also stated by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who, on May 31, said in Prague, Czech Republic: "Regarding the use of American weapons by Ukraine on the territory of the Russian Federation, the decision represents an adaptation and adjustment of the support we give to Ukraine, adaptation according to the needs arising on the front line. We make sure that Ukraine has what it needs when it needs it, and our decision was made in response to what happened in the last few days in the Kharkiv region. In recent weeks, representatives of Ukraine have asked us for authorization to use the weapons we supply to defend themselves against aggression by the Russian Federation, including against Russian forces massing on the Russian side of the border and then attacking into Ukraine. This request was sent directly to President Joe Biden, who approved the use of our weapons for this purpose. In the future, we will continue to do what we have done so far: to adapt and adjust the support provided to Ukraine."

Asked if President Biden's decision leaves the door open to allow Ukraine to strike harder at Russia, Blinken said the U.S. will continue to make sure it is acting effectively in supporting the authorities in Kiev.

President Joe Biden's decision was announced Thursday evening by the American television station CNN, which cited two American officials. They told the quoted source that Biden ordered Cabinet members "to ensure that Ukraine can use US-supplied weapons for counterattack purposes in Kharkiv so that it can respond to Russian forces striking or preparing to strike Ukrainian forces."

Kiev has asked Washington to reverse its decision on the use of US weapons only in recent weeks as Russian forces have made progress on the battlefield. Following President Biden's decision, Russian forces, ammunition depots and logistics centers located in the Russian Federation near the border with Ukraine can now be targeted with US-supplied artillery and missiles.

However, Joe Biden has banned Ukraine from using long-range missiles, ATACMS, which can hit targets located at a distance of about 300 kilometers.

• France and Germany, supporters of using Ukrainian weaponry against military targets in Russia

The decision of the American president came after on May 28, during the meeting at Schloss Meseberg, the president of France - Emmanuel Macron - and the German chancellor - Olaf Scholz - decided to authorize the hitting of missile launch points towards the territory of Ukraine and the troops near the border , who will soon attack the Ukrainian state.

Immediately after President Joe Biden's decision, Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on the X Network: "This is a welcome step that will now allow us to better protect Ukraine and Ukrainians from Russian terror and attempts to expand the war. We must continue to take precisely these decisive and effective steps to guarantee the strategic advantage of the democratic world in this confrontation, in which not only the future of Ukraine is determined". The Ukrainian leader thanked Joe Biden for his "vital support".

Regarding the use of American weapons on Russian territory, Major General Christian Freuding, the head of the situation center for Ukraine within the Bundeswehr (German Ministry of Defense), stated in a program on the ARD television station that the Ukrainian armed forces they can theoretically shoot down Russian planes over the territory of the Russian Federation with the Patriot air defense systems transferred to them by Germany.

"It is very possible that the Patriot systems will now be used in the Kharkiv area and over Russia," said Christian Freuding, who specified, however, that the systems must be used in compliance with international law: "We trust that the Ukrainians will not only adhere to this thing, but they will do it with great tactical skill and achieve success."

Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, stated: "No one will bomb Russia. Russia is bombing Ukraine. Illegal. We are doing everything we can to help Ukraine defend not only its country, but also its citizens. Self-defense in Kharkiv, a city nearby to the border with Russia, it also means preventing rockets from hitting schools, hospitals or supermarkets".

The fact is that, a few hours after President Biden's decision, Ukrainian forces attacked the Russian town of Belgorod with a HIMARS system, according to Forbes.

"On Friday, the White House erased its red line. The same night, the Ukrainian military directed some of its HIMARS launchers at the Russian city of Belgorod," the quoted source said.

• Russian officials threaten to start a war against NATO

Russia accused the West of following the path of escalation and assured that it would take the necessary measures to neutralize threats to the country. If Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that NATO would have to answer for Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory with Western weapons, Aleksandr Grushko, Deputy Foreign Minister said: "We know that Western countries follow the path of escalation . Therefore, all necessary measures will be taken on our part to neutralize the threats associated with this escalation." He added that the forces of the Russian Federation are not afraid of the use of Western weapons by Ukraine, because from the images received from the battlefields he noted that "Western equipment is crushed by our fighters" and that the same will happen after the decision USA to allow the use of this equipment on the territory bordering the neighboring country. Grushko warned that the escalation of the conflict is being pursued by the NATO states that have a strategy in this regard, a strategy they are following during this period.

For their part, Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that Ukraine's use of American weapons to attack Russian territory amounts to an escalation of the war and, implicitly, to a conflict with NATO.

Dmitry Peskov said: "What we know is that, in general, there are already attempts to strike Russian territory with weapons produced by the United States. That's enough for us, and that says a lot about the degree to which the United States is involved in the conflict."

Dmitri Medvedev, the vice-president of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, stated: "Ukraine's bombardment with American weapons of some targets inside Russia means a war with NATO". He said it would be a fatal mistake for the West to believe that Russia was not prepared to use tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine and warned of his own country's potential to strike more hostile countries with strategic nuclear weapons, without nominate them. "Unfortunately, this is neither intimidation nor bluffing," said Dmitri Medvedev menacingly.

Moreover, yesterday, the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation stated in a press release quoted by Izvestia: "In addition to the British and French long-range missile systems, which have been observed for a long time in Ukraine, we highlight in especially those versions of the American missiles of the ATACMS family, which were recently supplied to Kiev and are also capable of hitting targets deep in Russian territory. We observe that the aggressive desire of NATO countries to undermine the security of the Russian Federation is gaining momentum. In this regard, we would like to remind that the guaranteed protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country is the highest priority of Russia's policy in the field of military security, including in terms of nuclear deterrence."

Kremlin officials say that whenever and wherever US-made ground-based intermediate-range (INF) missile systems appear, Russia reserves the right to respond in a similar manner. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moscow states that the actions of the member states of the North Atlantic bloc actually indicate that they are deliberately moving towards the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, towards an open military clash between NATO countries and the Russian Federation "as part of the implementation of a hostile course to cause "a strategic defeat" to our country". According to Russian officials, the upcoming military exercises of the Russian Federation to develop the ability to use non-strategic nuclear weapons should be seen as a reaction to belligerent statements from the West and strong destabilizing actions taken by some NATO states, aimed at increasing strong pressure on the Russian Federation and creating additional security threats against Moscow.

• Swedish and Dutch planes in Ukraine, legitimate targets for Russian armed forces

Regarding Western support for Ukraine, the head of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, Aleksandr Mihailov, said that, for example, the two ASC 890 Airborne Early Warning (AWACS) aircraft that Sweden will transfer to the authorities in Kiev will not they will last a long time in the airspace.

Mihailov stated to Izvestia: "The respective planes provide long-range radar surveillance, that is, they provide airspace control, monitor aircraft takeoffs, missile launches, in general, everything that moves in the airspace in their visibility area. They will transmit this data to the Ukrainian side, including the coordinates where various types of weaponry and military equipment are located. In other words, the two planes will strengthen the capacity of the Ukrainian forces. But we must understand that these are turboprop aircraft, they are designed for a small combat range compared to our, say, A-50, which has much higher technical characteristics, both in aviation and in terms of the radar. Immediately after entering Ukrainian airspace, the two AWACS aircraft will become targets for our aviation, for our air defense systems. If they come within the range of the S-400 systems, and I believe this will happen, they will simply be hit by long-range anti-aircraft missiles. They will certainly cause us damage for a while, but I don't think they will last long in airspace."

The cited source also shows that on May 29, the Swedish government announced a new military assistance package for Ukraine worth 13.3 billion Swedish kroner (over $1.2 billion), a package that includes the two ASC 890 AWACS aircraft.

We also mention that, yesterday, the Netherlands, through the voice of the Minister of Defense - Kajsa Ollongren - stated, according to Politico, that it does not limit the use of F-16 fighter jets, which the country will transfer to Kiev, for attacks on the Russian Federation.

"We are only asking Ukraine to respect international law and the right to self-defense as stated in the UN Charter, which means that it must use F-16 fighter jets to strike military targets in self-defense," Ollongren said.

Regarding this statement, the first deputy head of the international committee of the Council of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Dzhabarov, stated for Ria Novosti that the Russian forces have every reason to shoot down the Dutch F-16 planes if they try to attack targets on Russian territories.