Pressure is growing on US President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to use West-supplied weapons to strike Russian territory. A number of US allies this week signalled they were open to this possibility, after months of concern about escalation.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin has warned of “serious consequences”, especially for what he called “small countries” in Europe. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington’s stance on the matter would “adapt and adjust” based on changing battlefield conditions. He is currently in the Czech capital, Prague, for a meeting of Nato foreign ministers.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said late on Wednesday that even though US support for Kyiv had evolved, “right now, there’s also no change to our policy”.
Ukraine has been struggling to counter a Russian offensive in the east of the country, while the city of Kharkiv has suffered weeks of deadly attacks, often launched by Russia from military outposts near the Ukrainian border.
Mr Blinken’s statement, during a trip to Europe, followed more direct comments made earlier this week by France’s President Emmanuel Macron, who said Ukraine should be “allowed” to use weapons supplied by the West against military sites on Russian territory – although strictly not on civilian targets. Mr Macron has for some time advocated for more direct intervention in the Ukraine war – but other Western leaders also appear to be softening to the idea.
Credit: bbc.com
