No change in US policy on long-range missiles to Ukraine: White House

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - There has not been a change in the US policy on how long-range missiles can be used by Ukraine inside Russia, White House said on Friday.

"There is no change to our view on the provision of long-range strike capabilities for Ukraine to use inside of Russia," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

His remarks came ahead of a meeting between US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House, where they are expected to discuss range of global issues of mutual interest, including continuing robust support to Ukraine in its defense against Russia.

"I wouldn't expect any sort of major announcement in that regard coming out of the discussions, certainly not from our side," Kirby said.

Biden, when asked by reporters on Tuesday whether he would lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons by Ukraine, said: "We’re working that out right now."

Biden's comments followed after the US assessment that Iran has transferred shipments of Fatah-360 close-range ballistic missiles to Russia, which Pentagon said it was "deeply concerning" since the transfer would lead to the deaths of more Ukrainian civilians.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, on Wednesday said Russia would respond "appropriately" if the US lifts its restrictions on Ukraine using American-supplied missiles to strike targets inside Russia.

Kirby said that the US takes Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats "seriously."

"He (Putin) starts brandishing the nuclear sword, for instance, we take that seriously, and we constantly monitor that kind of activity," said the spokesman.

"He obviously has proven capable of aggression. He has obviously proven capable of escalation over the last now going on three years. So, we take these comments seriously, but it is not something that we haven't heard before... We have our own calculus for what we decide to provide to Ukraine and what not," he added.