According to sources cited by The New York Times (NYT), the first attacks could begin in the coming hours or days. US officials have stated that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has already given his approval for this.
The decision to revise the policy regarding American weapons was reportedly influenced by the trip of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Kyiv. The newspaper states that Biden allowed the lifting of restrictions on May 15, with the final decision made last week.
The journalists of the publication underline the fact that by allowing strikes on Russia, Biden has "crossed the red line that he himself drew." Pentagon will provide recommendations to Ukraine on strikes against Russia The US Department of Defense has reported that Biden recently instructed his team to enable Ukraine to use American weapons for counter-battery strikes in the Kharkiv region.
Therefore, as noted by the defense ministry, Ukraine will be able to retaliate against Russian forces that are attacking or preparing to attack. However, the Pentagon emphasized that the United States' policy regarding the ban on the use of long-range ballistic missiles ATACMS for "strikes at long distances within Russia" remains unchanged.
However, an NYT source suggested that in the future, restrictions on the use of American weapons could be further relaxed. Another source told the newspaper that the US Ministry of Defense had been instructed to provide specific recommendations to Kyiv on where to strike in Russia.
Press Secretary for the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Serhiy Nikiforov, clarified that the US authorities have approved the use of HIMARS missile systems to strike Russian troops. According to him, this will significantly increase the Ukrainian army's ability to counter Russia's offensive.
The Kremlin has announced strikes on Russia with American weapons Dmitry Peskov, a representative of the Kremlin, said that Ukraine is already attempting to strike Russian territory using American weapons. The press secretary of the Russian leader noted that this information is enough for Moscow to understand the degree of US involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
Military expert and reserve captain of the first rank, Vasily Dandikin, emphasized that Russia is prepared to repel strikes from American missiles deep into its territory. He also noted that Western weapons have already been used to strike the Belgorod region. "Well, not with ATACMS missiles, but with Czech weapons. We shoot them all down. And they shot down the ATACMS over Crimea," Dandikin said.
He stated that during the conflict, Russian air defense systems have learned to work effectively with Western weapons, with the majority of missiles being intercepted and destroyed. The expert speculated that the main targets of the American strikes would be Sevastopol, Crimea, and the Crimean Bridge. "But, for example, they wouldn't have the range to reach Moscow. Only the Taurus missiles, which Germany has not yet delivered, could reach it. In any case, Ukraine's strikes will not go unanswered," the analyst concluded.
