The US State Department approved the idea of Ukrainian attacks on the Russian territory, The New York Times said.
"Propelled by the State Department, there is now a vigorous debate inside the administration over relaxing the ban to allow the Ukrainians to hit missile and artillery launch sites just over the border in Russia,” the newspaper wrote.
The proposal came following the visit of the US Secretary of State to Kyiv on May 14. Blinken's position on American weapons has changed due to Russia's military successes Ukraine.
Earlier it was reported that the US State Department was trying to put pressure on the Biden administration in order to allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to fire American precision weapons on Russian territory.
Reserve Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Roman Svitan believes that Kyiv should be allowed to attack Russian territory for protection purposes. According to him, the ability of Ukraine to independently select targets and strike Russian territory with the use of Western weapons would contribute to the security of the Ukrainian border.
"Those 20,000 [military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces] feel at ease on the Russian territory, because there is nothing to get them — we do not have an opportunity to operate NATO weapons on the Russian territory. (…) This would secure our borders. But we don't have this permission,” the ex-colonel said, UNIAN reports.
The situation concerns both the Kharkiv and Sumy regions, he said. US HIMARS systems could be used to strike deep into Russia, Svitan said.
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the lower house of US Congress, Michael McCaul, showed a map of Russia with a zone that could be hit by American long-range ATACMS missiles.
According to McCaul, Russian troops have placed artillery and missiles in close proximity to the Ukrainian border and they use those weapons to attack Ukraine. In addition, Ukraine does not use American weapons to strike those regions.
In this regard, the congressman asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken whether he would revise the policy that prohibits Kyiv from launching strikes on Russia. Blinken responded by saying that it was up to the Ukrainian authorities to make such a decision.
"They cannot achieve victory with the restrictions you put on them, when they have one of their hands tied behind their back. And I hope that you will bring this to the National Security Advisor and change this political decision, which is very dangerous and harmful to Ukraine,” McCaul concluded.
State Duma deputy from Crimea, member of the Security Committee Mikhail Sheremet said that the demonstration of the map of Russia with regions suitable for ATACMS missile strikes was insane. Moscow has a guaranteed ability to instantly destroy any aggressor, the MP said.
"They must keep it in mind that the peace-loving and very patient modern Russia has a guaranteed opportunity to instantly destroy any aggressor, no matter what continent it is on," Mikhail Sheremet said.
Sensible US citizens should dump such deranged politicians, who try to plunge the world into the chaos of war, in "landfill of history" as they thereby deprive their country of the future.