Biden OKs Ukraine using US weapons to strike Russia, but with caveats

May 31

Ryan Robertson Anchor/Reporter

By Ryan Robertson (Anchor/Reporter), Evan Hummel (Producer), Jake Maslo (Video Editor)

Following pleas from Kyiv, a major policy reversal from the Biden administration was been announced on Friday, May 31. The White House has reportedly given Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia using U.S.-supplied weapons. However, there are some stipulations.

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The weapons can only be used near Kharkiv, Ukraine, for countering Russian attacks. The U.S. stopped short of allowing long-range strikes inside Russia and civilian infrastructure is off-limits for Ukrainian forces.

The move by President Joe Biden was first made quietly on Thursday, May 30. The lifting of restrictions is designed to allow Ukrainian forces to fight off Russian forces attacking Ukraine’s second largest city. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the change was desperately need, not just for Ukraine, but for the world.

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“The stakes couldn’t be higher for this moment,” Blinken said. “We know that if Russian aggression is allowed to proceed in Ukraine with impunity it will not stop with Ukraine.”

Now, Ukrainian forces can use U.S. weaponry to intercept Russian missiles heading toward Kharkiv. Russian troops massing over the Russian border near Kharkiv are also allowed to be struck by U.S.-provided weapons under the lifted restrictions.

The Biden administration previously said that lifting restrictions could escalate the war with more direct U.S. involvement. However, Biden reportedly had a change of heart once Russian forces advanced on Kharkiv and unleashed heavy attacks on the city.

The U.S. isn’t the only country to change its mind. Berlin lifted restrictions on German-provided weapons to Ukraine with similar stipulations to the U.S.

Those are not the only Western powers who may cross previous redlines. French President Emmanuel Macron said that more direct involvement in the war may be coming. He is in talks to send military personnel into Ukraine.

However, putting Western troops on Ukrainian soil does run the risk of them becoming casualties. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said in the past that deploying Western troops to Ukraine would have “tragic” consequences.

Loosening restrictions on Ukraine and the apparent willingness to send foreign troops to Ukrainian soil isn’t sitting well with all NATO members.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban claimed that NATO is “getting closer to war” every week and that the organization is dragging Budapest into a “world war.” Orban’s warm relationship with Moscow during the war has put Hungary at odds with fellow NATO allies.

The policy changes and considerations by NATO allies have also inflamed the Kremlin. In response, senior Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev said that Moscow is not bluffing over its threats to use tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine. He warned that moves by the West could lead to an all-out war.

“Russia regards all long-range weapons used by Ukraine as being directly controlled by servicemen from NATO countries,” Medvedev said. “This is no military assistance; this is participation in a war against us.”

Tags: Antony Blinken, Germany, Hungary, Joe Biden, Kremlin, Kyiv, Moscow, NATO, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine aid, United States, Vladimir Putin, Weapons

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THE WHITE HOUSE IS GIVING UKRAINE THE GREENLIGHT TO STRIKE INSIDE RUSSIA USING U.S. SUPPLIED WEAPONS.

THE MAJOR POLICY REVERSAL BY THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION COMES AFTER PLEAS FROM KYIV AND OTHERS.

THERE ARE SOME CAVEATS, THOUGH.

THE WEAPONS CAN ONLY BE USED TO COUNTER RUSSIAN ATTACKS NEAR KHARKIV.

THE U.S. STOPPED SHORT OF ALLOWING LONG-RANGE STRIKES INSIDE RUSSIA AND CIVILIAN INFRASTRUCTURE IS OFF LIMITS.

THE MOVE BY BIDEN–WHICH WAS FIRST MADE QUIETLY–

IS AIMED AT GIVING UKRAINE THE ABILITY TO FIGHT OFF THE RUSSIAN FORCES DISMANTLING ITS SECOND LARGEST CITY.

SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN SAID THE CHANGE WAS DESPERATELY NEEDED, NOT JUST FOR UKRAINE, BUT THE WORLD.

[ANTONY BLINKEN]

“THE STAKES COULDN’T BE HIGHER FOR THIS MOMENT. WE KNOW THAT IF RUSSIAN AGGRESSION IS ALLOWED TO PROCEED IN UKRAINE WITH IMPUNITY IT WILL NOT STOP WITH UKRAINE.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

NOW, UKRAINIAN FORCES CAN USE U.S. WEAPONRY TO INTERCEPT RUSSIAN MISSILES HEADING TOWARD KHARKIV.

RUSSIAN TROOPS MASSING OVER THE RUSSIAN BORDER NEAR KHARKIV ARE ALSO FAIR GAME.

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION PREVIOUSLY SAID LIFTING RESTRICTIONS COULD ESCALATE THE WAR…BUT THE ONSLAUGHT ON KHARKIV WAS APPARENTLY ENOUGH TO FORCE A CHANGE OF HEART FOR BIDEN.

THE U.S. ISN’T THE ONLY COUNTRY TO CHANGE ITS MIND. BERLIN LIFTED RESTRICTIONS ON GERMAN-PROVIDED WEAPONS TO UKRAINE– WITH SIMILAR STIPULATIONS AS THE U.S.

MORE WESTERN NATIONS ARE ALSO SHOWING THEIR WILLINGNESS TO CROSS VLADIMIR PUTIN’S REDLINES.

FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON SAYING MORE DIRECT INVOLVEMENT IN THE WAR IS COMING.

THE FRENCH ARE IN TALKS TO SEND MILITARY TRAINING PERSONNEL INTO UKRAINE. PUTTING WESTERN TROOPS ON UKRAINIAN SOIL OF COURSE PUTS THEM AT RISK OF BECOMING CASUALTIES. PUTIN ALSO SAID BEFORE DEPLOYING WESTERN TROOPS TO UKRAINE WOULD HAVE “TRAGIC” CONSEQUENCES.

LOOSENING THE LEASH ON UKRAINE AND THE WILLINGNESS TO SEND FOREIGN TROOPS TO UKRAINIAN SOIL ISN’T SITTING WELL WITH ALL NATO MEMBERS.

HUNGARY’S PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN CLAIMS NATO IS “GETTING CLOSER TO WAR” EVERY WEEK…HE ALSO SAID NATO IS DRAGGING BUDAPEST INTO A “WORLD WAR.”

ORBAN’S PARTICULARLY WARM RELATIONSHIP WITH MOSCOW HAS PUT HUNGARY AT ODDS WITH FELLOW NATO ALLIES.

THE KREMLIN, ON CUE, IS DENOUNCING THE POLICY CHANGES SURROUNDING WESTERN AID TO UKRAINE.

FORMER RUSSIAN PRESIDENT AND CURRENT SECURITY OFFICIAL DMITRY MEDVEDEV SAID MOSCOW ISN’T BLUFFING ABOUT USING TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS AGAINST UKRAINE…SOMETHING HE AND OTHER RUSSIAN LEADERS HAVE SAID BEFORE.

MEDVEDEV SAID MOVES BY THE WEST COULD LEAD TO AN ALL-OUT WAR…AND “RUSSIA REGARDS ALL LONG-RANGE WEAPONS USED BY UKRAINE AS BEING DIRECTLY CONTROLLED BY SERVICEMEN FROM NATO COUNTRIES. THIS IS NO MILITARY ASSISTANCE…HE SAYS… THIS IS PARTICIPATION IN A WAR AGAINST RUSSIA.”

WE’VE BEEN COVERING THE WAR IN UKRAINE FROM THE START AND WILL KEEP DOING SO…FOR MORE OF OUR UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACT REPORTING DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP TODAY….OR VISIT US AT S-A-N DOT COM.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M RYAN ROBERTSON