(NewsSpace.com) – The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for more than two years now, with neither side backing down. Ukraine has largely depended on the West throughout the conflict to supply it with the weapons and munitions it needs to fight off its aggressors. However, most of the weapons came with restrictions. For one, Ukraine couldn’t use them to strike Russia’s interior. However, that has seemingly changed—at least a little.
On Thursday, May 30, President Joe Biden shifted away from the strict policy that was in place regarding American-made weapons. For the past two years, Ukraine’s military has been prohibited from using them to strike any targets inside Russia. Now, they can use them—as a mode of self-defense only—to conduct limited strikes with the mission of safeguarding Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city. Kyiv is its biggest.
When the US shifted policy, it opened the door for other nations to follow, and Germany immediately did. The next day, Friday, Berlin gave Ukraine permission to use German weapons to combat cross-border attacks launched by Russia.
The move was widely lauded by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who says he “welcome[s] that allies are easing restrictions on the use of weapons.” He further elaborated that “Self-defense is a fundamental right” and “not escalation.”
The timing couldn’t be better for Ukraine. The country is battling Russian forces on the border of Kharkiv, and the aggressors have even managed to seize some portions of it. Ukraine had been pleading for weeks to use the weapons to strike back, saying that the limitations kept them from fighting a fair fight and gave Russia the advantage. While it was granted the right to strike missiles and fire back at cross-border targets, long-range strikes are still not permitted.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said the shift in policy is a clear indicator that there is “US involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.”
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