He suggested the idea during an internal discussion after a "sobering visit" to Kyiv in mid-May, sources told The New York Times. According to them, the proposal is "in the formative stages" and it is still unclear whether the Biden administration will support it. The idea has not yet been formally presented to the president, who has always been cautious on the issue. Blinken's position changed after the opening of a new front in the north of Kharkiv region.
Earlier, a group of U.S. congressmen appealed to Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin with a demand to allow Ukraine to use U.S. weapons to strike targets inside Russia. According to the lawmakers, amid the deteriorating situation for the AFU, the Biden administration has limited the Ukrainian side's ability to "fight back against Russian forces."
In May, Ukraine asked the Biden administration to lift restrictions on the use of US-supplied weapons for strikes on military targets. President Zelenskyy admitted that the West does not give its consent to this. According to him, Kyiv has never violated the imposed ban in order "not to jeopardize the entire volume of weapons" supplied by the West.
Zelenskyy said that without authorization to strike Russian facilities, it is difficult for Ukraine to defend itself against attacks. He continues to discuss with Western partners the possibility of using long-range ATACMS, Storm Shadow, and Scalp missiles, but so far without success.
The Kremlin called Zelenskyy's request a "hysteria" due to the allegedly difficult situation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Putin's spokesman added that Kyiv had a "growing understanding" that it was impossible to change the dynamics on the front despite the supplies of military aid.
For his part, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said that the USA was providing Ukraine with weapons to defend its sovereign territory and expected them to be used against targets "inside Ukraine".
