Biden authorizes Ukraine to fire U.S. weapons into parts of Russia

Amna Nawaz:

In another major story we're watching today, there's been a major change in U.S. policy on arming Ukraine, in particular, how the weapons that Washington provides are used.

For the first time, the White House will allow some U.S. weapons to be used to strike inside Russia.

For more on that now, I'm joined by our Nick Schifrin.

So, Nick, tell us, what did President Biden decide?

Nick Schifrin:

For the last two years, President Biden has had two goals in Ukraine, not necessarily complimentary, one, to try and prevent Russia from taking over Ukraine and therefore send U.S. weapons and money into Ukraine.

The second is to avoid direct U.S.-Russia confrontation, and that led him to restrict the use of those U.S. weapons so that Ukraine could not fire them into Russia. But in the last few weeks, some 30,000 Russian troops gathered on the border bombarded Ukrainian towns like this one in the Kharkiv district, and seized 12 villages around the buffer zone. Or what Russia is trying to create is a buffer zone.

They've also bombarded Kharkiv City, the second largest city in Ukraine. Despite the fact that Ukrainians were watching the Russian troops gather right on the border and launch this attack that everyone knew was coming.

And yet Ukraine couldn't use those weapons to try and prevent it. And so a U.S. official confirms tonight, quote, the president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use U.S. supplied weapons for counter fire purposes in the Kharkiv region so Ukraine can hit back.

Kharkiv region is part of this statement. This, a U.S. official who told me went on to say our policy with respect to prohibiting the use of long range strikes inside Russia has not changed.

Amna Nawaz:

The very specific guidance there. But this didn't happen in a vacuum. There's been a lot of international pressure on President Biden. What do we know about that?

Nick Schifrin:

The British government lifted its restrictions a month ago. This past week, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, also said that Ukraine should be allowed to use Western weapons to fire into Russia.

But a U.S. official tonight said that President Biden actually made his initial decision on this two weeks ago, May the 15th. And so clearly the international pressure has has increased. But the U.S. decided this before that happened

Amna Nawaz:

Great reporting from Nick Schifrin tonight on this major change in U.S. policy. Nick, thank you.

Nick Schifrin:

Thank you.