Recent reports indicate that President Joe Biden has not given Ukraine explicit permission to use American-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia. The Biden administration has maintained a longstanding policy that U.S.-supplied arms should be used solely for defensive purposes within Ukrainian territory. This stance is intended to prevent further escalation of the conflict and avoid direct confrontation between the U.S. and Russia
However, there has been significant pressure from Ukrainian officials and some U.S. lawmakers to lift this restriction. Ukrainian leaders argue that the prohibition hinders their ability to preemptively strike Russian military positions near the border, giving Russian forces a strategic advantage.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and other international figures have also called for reconsidering these restrictions, emphasizing that Ukraine has the right to defend itself against Russian aggression, which includes targeting legitimate military sites across the border.
While the debate continues, and some allies like the U.K. have relaxed similar restrictions on their supplied weapons, the U.S. policy remains unchanged as of now.