Biden authorizes Ukraine to fire U.S. weapons into parts of Russia
In another major story we’re watching today There’s been a major change in US policy on arming Ukraine in particular how the weapons that Washington provides are used for the first time. The White House will allow some U. S weapons to be used to strike inside Russia for more on that now, I’m joined by Nick Schifrin. So, Nick tell us what did the president decide. For the last two years, President Biden has had two goals in Ukraine not necessarily complementary one to try and prevent Russia from taking over Ukraine and therefore send us weapons. And money into Ukraine. The second is to avoid direct US Russia confrontation, and that led him to restrict the use of those U. S weapons so that Ukraine could not fire them into Russia. But in the last few weeks, some 30,000 Russian troops gathered on the border bombarded Ukrainian towns like this one in the heart Kiev district and sees 12 villages around the buffer zone, or what Russia is trying to create is a buffer zone. They’ve also bombarded heart Kiev City, the second largest city in Ukraine. Despite the fact that Ukrainians were watching the Russian troops gather right on the border and launched this attack that everyone knew was coming, and yet Ukraine couldn’t use those weapons to try and prevent it. And so a U. S official confirms tonight, Quote the president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use US supplied weapons for counter fire purposes. In the Kharkiv region, so Ukraine can hit back Kharkiv region is part of this statement that this US official who told me went on to say our policy with respect to prohibiting the use of long range strikes inside. Russia has not changed very specific guidance there. But Nick this didn’t happen in a vacuum. There’s been a lot of international pressure on President Biden. What do we know about that? The British government lifted its restrictions a month ago this past week, the French president Emmanuel Macron, and the NATO secretary general. Stoltenberg also said that Ukraine should be allowed to use Western weapons to fire into Russia. But a US official tonight said that President Biden actually made his initial decision on this two weeks ago. May the 15th and so clearly, the international pressure has increased, but the US decided this before that happened. Great reporting from Nick Schifrin tonight on this major change in US policy, Nick Thank you. Thank you. In
There has been a major change in U.S. policy on arming Ukraine. For the first time, the White House will allow some U.S. weapons to be used to strike inside of Russia. Nick Schifrin reports.
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