UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY US SECRETARY OF STATE
By Ahmet Gencturk
ATHENS (AA) - The US on Friday admitted that it approved the Ukrainian request to use US-supplied weapons to conduct strikes in Russian territory.
The green light was given on condition that the Ukrainians will limit their strikes to the border areas of Kharkiv, where Russian forces entered early May and have since advanced.
"Over the past few weeks, Ukraine came to us and asked for the authorization to use weapons that we're providing to defend against this aggression, including against Russian forces that are massing on the Russian side of the border, and then attacking Ukraine. And that went right to the president. And as you've heard, he's approved the use of our weapons for that purpose," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a press conference following an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Prague.
He said the US support to Ukraine adjusts according to the situation on the battlefield and needs. "So I think time and again, we've adapted, we've adjusted, we provided Ukraine with the systems, the weapons it has needed, but again, as I've shared with you many times before, for example, when it comes to weapons systems, we also want to make sure that they have the necessary training to use the weapons and they have the necessary capacity to maintain them," Blinken added.
He said NATO allies are giving impetus to their endeavors to provide Ukraine with what it needs as shown by recent pledges by the Netherlands, Germany for additional Patriot air defense systems and Czech Republic's efforts of building a artillery shell coalition for the urgent need of Ukrainian armed forces.
Blinken said Russia has been conducting an intense hybrid warfare campaign in numerous NATO countries, adding: "We know what they're up to. And we will respond both individually and collectively as necessary."
The development was initially reported on Thursday by Politico news website, which claimed President Joe Biden had granted the secret approval to help Kyiv better defend against Russian attacks on Ukraine's second-largest city.