Last week, outlets across the spectrum reported that United States officials granted Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia using U.S.-supplied weapons. What are the limitations to this permission?

For Context: Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, U.S. officials have refused to allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia with weapons supplied by the U.S. out of fear of escalating the conflict and potentially pulling NATO into a direct confrontation with Russia. This position changed recently due to a new Russian push toward the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. 

Details: U.S. officials granted Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia with U.S. weapons near Kharkiv, which is 19 miles away from the border with Russia. The U.S. permission to strike with U.S. weapons is limited to the Russian region bordering Kharkiv. It does not extend deeper into Russia. 

Key Quotes: President Joe Biden clarified these limitations on Thursday during an interview with ABC News (Lean Left bias), stating, “They're authorized to be used in proximity to the border when they're being used on the other side of the border to attack specific targets in Ukraine. We're not authorizing strikes 200 miles into Russia and we're not authorizing strikes on Moscow, on the Kremlin.”

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum are reporting that Ukraine is already taking advantage of these new permissions, with U.S.-supplied weapons reportedly striking Russian missile launchers in the Belgorod region earlier this week.